[ARC5] Bare Aluminum USN sets.

[Mike Hanz]

Possibly - it's an approach that is often used in today's world, 
otherwise known as risk management. Basically it's a value judgement, 
sometimes based on statistics on how likely damage might be to occur, 
versus the cost of simply being reactive to such damage - if and when it 
occurs - and paying the price.  The problem with using that technique on 
military gear is that the price may not be so easily quantifiable when 
you are talking about preserving the life of a highly trained airman.  
It also then brings up the question of why 99% of the other Navy radio 
equipment was specified with black wrinkle paint, with a salt spray 
sub-specification?  That sounds relatively proactive to me. :-\

  - Mike

On 10/19/2012 9:49 AM, J. Forster wrote:
> Maybe because they figured the plane would crash or be shot down, long
> before the radio could corrode?  :)
>
> -John
>> Mike wrote:
>>
>> "It makes one wonder why the WECO AN/ARR-2 wasn't also produced in bare
>> aluminum."
>>
>> That's an easy one, and the answer is because they were purchased under a
>> Navy contract to Navy specifications.
>> The real question is: Why did the Navy put up with un-painted VHF ARC-5s?
>> Materials shortage maybe??
>> Or maybe because many Tx's were converted from the SCR-274N  flavor of VHF
>> equipment??
>> J. Horn KA7GKP