PAF has a pilot to Aircraft ratio of 2:1.
i.e. they have 2 pilots for a single aircraft.
Also a twin seater is designed specifically for operational reason that require 2 pilots. Even a commercial aircraft can be flown using just one pilot. But no airline in the world will every send up a flight with no co-pilot.
Only a fool will agree that during stressful combat operations, a twin seater will have only one pilot.
Be careful of what you post.
First...I am USAF veteran, F-111 Cold War, then F-16 Desert Storm.
Now...On the F-111, can the jet be flown by one pilot, specifically the left seater? Yes, but he would not be able to accomplish a combat sortie because the F-111 was designed to be flown by
EITHER seat but need both pilots to operate the jet in a combat sortie. Other than the EF-111 which have no controls for the right seater, the right seat pilot can actually fly the jet, albeit with some difficulty, by himself. But for the 'regular' F-111, to accomplish a combat sortie, the left seater flies the jet and the right seater operate the weapons systems. Left = Pilot. Right = Weapons Systems Officer (WSO).
Next...The F-16 two-seater B/D models cannot be compared to the F-111. The B/D models are trainers but literally everything regarding accomplishing a combat sortie can be done by the front cockpit. In other words,
IF NECESSARY, a B/D jet can be sent into combat with only the front cockpit pilot.
The F-14 can be flown only by the front cockpit -- the pilot. The rear cockpit is for the Naval Flight Officer who is not a pilot. For a combat sortie, the F-14 must have a pilot and an NFO.
The F-15 Strike Eagle usually flies with both rated pilots, but the rear cockpit's primary responsibility is weapons, not flight. If the front cockpit becomes inop for any reason, the rear cockpit can take over flight duties but would not be able to accomplish a combat sortie. For combat, the Strike Eagle requires two pilots. The USAF do not an NFO equivalent. Either a pilot or not.
In an airliner, the jet was literally designed with task partitioning in mind, meaning one pilot does one set of tasks and the other pilot does the another set of tasks.
The F-16 was not designed that way. In theory, for the F-16B/D models, the rear cockpit (GIB), should be able to fly a combat sortie but I have not heard of such. The B/D models are usually reserved for training and familiarity. For the new F-16 pilot, he would get an intro flight from the rear cockpit, then as his training progresses, he would transition to the front cockpit and the IP to the rear. But F-16 two-seaters do not need two pilots to fly a combat sortie.
Please avoid making generalizations like this.
