re: The guys who ride behind the pilot in jet fighters..

AF F-4s had dual controls but you can’t see shite sitting in back, at the start of the VN war the AF would put a pilot in the back seat (GIB -guy in back ,)that didn’t go over well so they began to train non rated officers as WSOs(weapons systems officers,) or RIOs(radar intercept officers,) to help acquire targets, pilot does the actual shooting, usually the non-rated guy wanted pilot training but typically had a minor physical issue (usually eyesight,) preventing that, typically you could get a waiver and eventually get pilot training, not always, if you got shot down and taken POW and survived, guaranteed pilot training