What is the job of the pilot in the backseat of a F/18?

Question

just watched topgun and wondered what was the person back there was responsible for since some fighter planes have only one seat.

Answer 1

There IS a guy in the back seat, and to be politically correct the back-seater can be a 'she' as well. The two variants of the F/A-18 with back seats are the F/A-18B and the F/A-18D

It's the F/A-18.

F/A = Fighter/Attack

18 = Aircraft designation; the U.S. decided to make it the 18th for whatever reason. Does not necessarily mean it's the 18th fighter to enter service.

On the F/A-18B, the rear-seat is there for a trainer. Otherwise, the F/A-18B is actually still completely capable of fighting.

The F/A-18D, the other 2-seat variant, has the second seat for a WSO (Weapons and Sensors Officer) to assist in weapons management.

Answer 2

WSO weapon systems officer typically is responsible for guided munition locking / guiding

these dual seateers often carry the LANTIRN or MAGICEYE /??/ pods with laser designators, and the WSO is responsible for keeping the designator mark on the target. he also might be responsible for intelligence gathering and target aquisition. his duties as an radinterception officer might be discussed, since these aircraft mostly operate in a dense airspace where interception is managed through the AWACS rather than individually from the plane itself.

Answer 3

F-18 F should have a backseater but i think youre referring to the F-14 where the backseater is called a RIO or radar Intercept Officer.

Answer 4

In the movie Topgun there are some great shots of the F-14 Tomcat and the guys are right the backseater in a Tomcat is the RIO. In other aircraft they are called a WSO (wizzo) in the Air Force we had other names for them. the second person is there to maintain situational awareness because in the high stress war space enviroment the pilot can concentrate on flying and the wizzo can concentrate on delivering ordnance on the mission objective and  confusing the baddies.

Sadly the F-14 is no longer flying in the inventory and the remaining A/C are being shredded up at the D-M AMARC facility.

Answer 5

First of all, there is no back-seat guy in an F-18 Hornet.  You're referring to the F-14 Tomcat, and the flyer in the rear seat is referred to as the "RIO", or "Radar Intercept Officer".  He monitors the various systems on the F-14 and works with the pilot to accomplish their mission.

Answer 6

I think one guy is the navigator an another is the pilot.

Answer 7

Probably navigation and/or combat.

Answer 8

If it is Top Gun then it is an F-14 and you are talking about the Radar Intercept Officer. The RIO's roles are guiding the pilot with respect to the optimum course and interception speeds, operate the complex navigation, sensor, and weapons systems onboard, tactical cordination with other friendly assets and so on.

The F-14 doesnt have dual controls, so the RIO will not be able to pilot the fighter.

BTW, there is no steadfast rule that there can be only one crew member in a fighter aircraft.