Analogue Technology to the Rescue!
Back in WWII, German ace Adolf Galland had a rifle scope installed in his Bf-109 plane. It apparently enabled him to ID planes faster and better and therefore helped him gain an advantage.
Innovations in Aircraft Technology Post-WWII
However, did you know that American F-14 and F-15 crews adopted this method well into the early 1980’s!? The F-15 TVSU optical system had an average range of 7 nautical miles, back then. Installing a Weaver rifle scope in the cockpit helped pilots ID other planes a little faster/better/earlier.
Early F-14A crews also used rifle scopes as their Tomcat did not come equipped with a TCS (optics/tracker) straight away.
Use of Manual Optical Devices in Modern Conflicts
Along the same line, A-10 pilots in Iraq (1991) and Kosovo (1999) usually took some binoculars with them for extra clarity because the camera pods/optics at the time lacked definition and color!
– RBM
