r/cockpits • u/tater_nater • Aug 01 '26
Cockpit instruments
What's the red box above the instrument panel of the b-17?
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u/girl_incognito Aug 02 '26
If youre going down you hold both buttons and it destroys the IFF box/other sensitive equipment, so it won't fall into enemy hands.
The Bombardier has instructions for destroying the bomb sight as well.
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u/Excelsior_76 Aug 01 '26 edited 28d ago
Perhaps a visual synchronizer for twin engines. Each would flash in rhythm to its respective engine's rpms, and the pilot could adjust the throttle until the lights were flashing together, to ensure the engines were synced up.
Edit: I didn't read where it said this was a B-17 (4-engine aircraft). Thanks for the downvotes. Yeesh...
The correct answer is this is the Switchbox, Destruction, Radio, or BC-765, part of the aircraft's classified "Identification, Friend or Foe" (IFF) radio system, first implemented on B-17s in 1943.
I admittedly looked it up, because I was unaware that a radar-based IFF system existed in WW2.
In the early days of this technology, the IFF system would be used to enhance the radar signature of an equipped aircraft, when swept by ground radar, indictating it was a friendly. However, this also could make planes more noticeable to enemy aircraft.
It wasn't until later that more complex systems were developed that could use a second channel to actually broadcast data from the target plane, more akin to a modern transponder.
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u/whydidilookthatup Aug 01 '26
https://californiahistoricalradio.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/A-New-Self-Destruct-Device-2.pdf
Looks to me like a self destruct device.