From what I’ve read these systems are about as tough to run as a Nintendo 64 ‘Battletanx’ missiles.Not so. These are not fire-and-forget systems. They have to be guided into the target. You have to be technically proficient to operate them. A guy I know who was a Soviet bloc SAM operator, while a draftee, is as sharp as a tack. I don't think he was assigned to the SAM battery by accident.
~Not so. These are not fire-and-forget systems. They have to be guided into the target. You have to be technically proficient to operate them. A guy I know who was a Soviet bloc SAM operator, while a draftee, is as sharp as a tack. I don't think he was assigned to the SAM battery by accident.~
That is how this exact Buk operator's station looks from inside. Not exactly a Nintendo arcade but it is not much more difficult than MS Flight Simulator. It is fire-and-forget indeed. You don't have to manually guide your missile to target, it is radar-guided. And you don't actually need to learn all the buttons to fire a missile and hit aircraft with that.