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In reply to the discussion: KC-135 tanker involved in Epic Fury goes down in Iraq: CENTCOM [View all]DetroitLegalBeagle
(2,497 posts)Fighters and bombers are expected to have to spend a lot of time in contested airspace and operate under conditions where any emergency turns catastrophic basically instantly. Cargo planes and tankers rarely fly in contested airspace and if they do, they usually are under escort. For their normal missions, emergencies aren't usually catastrophic immediately, they are usually emergencies that happen over minutes and allow them to try to handle it while still in the air. The actual plane designs themselves is the other issue.Cargo planes can have multiple decks with personnel on each. Some have crew moving around a lot. They would need a different escape method. Having a single one, like simply bailing out, simplifies things. Ejection seats means the entire structure needs to be designed around it, its not something that can easily be retrofitted into existing designs. And the weight of the systems is the other issue, which is kind of important for cargo and tankers. Every pound of weight tied to ejection systems is less cargo and fuel they can carry every trip. And for planes that are expected to have a very low need for such systems, the trade off isnt worth it. Everything with the military has compromises between efficiency, safety, mission effectiveness, and cost. And mission effectiveness usually takes priority.