ENEM

ITA

IME

FUVEST

UNICAMP

UNESP

UNIFESP

UFPR

UFRGS

UNB

VestibularEdição do vestibular
Disciplina

(AFA - 2023)Directions: Read Text VI and answer qu

Inglês | text interpretation | news and reviews
AFA 2023AFA InglêsTurma EsPCEx-AFA

(AFA - 2023)

 

Directions: Read Text VI and answer questions 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16 accordingly.

 

TEXT VI

          Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, caused
  something of a stir at the annual Air Force Association’s
  Air Warfare Symposium in Orlando, Florida. During an
  informal ‘fireside chat’ with Lt. Gen. John Thompson of
Space Command on Friday, Musk told a room packed
  with fighter pilots that “the fighter jet era has passed”.
  Now, Musk is renowned for finding soundbites for the
  media to hook onto, and also of causing calculated
  disruption in his target audience, but even by his
10  standards this is a well-baited line. What makes this such
  a bold and controversial statement?
          The contemporary battlefield is far more networked,
  complex, congested and lethal – it’s those that adapt that
  will survive. Simply being ‘a good stick’ will rapidly no
15  longer cut it in the hostile skies of the future.
          Musk’s main thrust is, however, that the human in
  the cockpit is the limiting factor in air combat now, not the
  advantage.
          Firstly, humans are awkward for aircraft designers to
20  accommodate. In a modern fighter the pilot sits on an
  ejection seat for emergency escape, needs an oxygen
  supply and air-conditioning to function at extremes of
  temperature and altitude, and requires flight controls and
  instruments to fly and fight the machine. All of these add
25  a significant amount of weight and cost into the aircraft.
  Moreover, having a transparent canopy to permit the crew
  to see out does little to improve signature management1
  as radar cross section and the chances of reflected sun
  glint all increase. The human also adds more weight,
30  especially when encumbered with flight kit such as
  helmet, NVGs, g-suit and flight planning and survival
  equipment. Traditionally, pilots sit toward the front of the
  aircraft to afford them the best view for take-off and
  landing, as well as air combat. This has implications on
35  aerodynamics, stealth1 design and weight distribution
  factors. In short, it can make the designers life a lot
  simpler if the pilot/crew are not in the aircraft.

 

(Extracted from https://www.forbes.com/. Accessed on March 03, 2022.)

 

Vocabulary:

1. Signature management and stealth: both terms refer to technology that reduces the likelihood of personnel, aircrafts, missiles, etc. being detected.

 

 

In the future, pilots will

A

be inconvenienced by flight helmets and survival equipment.

B

have to rely on other qualities besides technical prowess.

C

be considered the most important element in air combat.

D

have to make split-second life or death decisions.