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Comment by GekkePrutser | Hacker News Reader

I know it's probably just a figure of speech. But do those things even have keys?? I'd be surprised.

It'd be funny if you're trying to scramble and the last pilot forgot to put the keys back on the board :P Just mentioning it because this exact thing happened to me with one of the local flying club's 172s and I had to drive all the way back out. But of course those are not used for national defense purposes.

I always thought fighters and airliners didn't have keys because they're never parked outside of areas with sufficient physical security anyway.

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It really depends on what you classify as a key? For the F16 there are countless pins and blocks that need to be removed before the plane is ready for the pilot to come start it up. They're not really put key in hole and turn it kind of things but I guess they could qualify.[1] There is also the APU, spinning up the turbines and a bunch of other steps before takeoff.

[1]: https://www.alphaindustries.eu/media/image/ea/b3/30/88-0413-...

As an aside, really liking the new F-15's, they can carry so many AIM-120's I imagine their main purpose is to be a missile boat from BOV supporting their stealth counterparts.

> As an aside, really liking the new F-15's, they can carry so many AIM-120's I imagine their main purpose is to be a missile boat from BOV supporting their stealth counterparts.

That's an explicit part of doctrine now. Older F-15s and F-16s were already employing this doctrine, using the F-35 and F-22 as mini-AWACS and acting as force multipliers for the exotic stealth aircraft with highly capable radars but relatively modest internal armament capabilities.

Wouldn’t their lack of stealth give away the element of surprise for the stealth elements ?

They don't need to be right next to the stealth planes. They can dwell behind (or sometimes elsewhere..), ready to be vectored to intercept targets the leading stealth aircraft detect from beyond visual range.

Well yes but those things are part of the startup checklist. Every plane has that, even on a Cessna 172 that does have a key (that doubles as ignition/magneto switch) you can't just turn the key and expect it to fire up. At least not if the power-down checklist was followed properly and the mixture pulled to cutoff! If the engine is cold you'll also have to prime it first. I'm sure on an F-16 this is a magnitude of times more difficult but it's not really a 'key' as such, it's just process. Once you know it it can't be taken away like a key can, or changed like a PIN code.

They're not protection against unauthorised use. It's more a side-effect. I mean more like a key that's different for every plane, or a PIN code or something. But maybe if there was that'd be confidential information I guess, maybe I shouldn't have asked :D

PS: I didn't know the new F-15s were so different. I'm really surprised they put them back into production. I remember them roaring over the Netherlands from Soesterberg but this feels like ages ago.

In the movies, the protagonist is always able to run across the runway, jump into a plane and take off. The protagonist doesn't seem to spend time ransacking some office looking for the keys.

They also don't seem to spend time hooking up an APU or ground power unit, waiting for turbines to spin up, etc.

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