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I am having an extremely difficult time imagining that device, which is apparently a passive optical sensor, doing the following:
1) Identifying a missile launch in all weather conditions, including IMC, or a SAM from below an undercast. Attenuation of the IR signal from the rocket motor will be severe. Are the mounted in the forward quadrant as well? Missiles arrive from all aspects.
2) Determining time of flight. An IR plume is simply an IR plume. A passive sensor cannot determine whether it is a MANPAD, a PAC-3, or a sidewinder. Given that, how does it know the velocity of the missile? By line of sight? This will fail as different missiles have differing intercept profiles. And what happens when the sensor detects a surface to surface rocket launch, like MLRS? Does it force the pilot to begin some wild, evasive maneuver based upon ANY IR plume detected? That would tend to detract from the mission a bit.
3) Finally, recommend an evasive procedure: The geometry involved is astronomically complicated. I can see it deploying chaff, but if it pops flares willy-nilly, that may be the last thing you want. Flares are visible at extreme distances and can attract lurking bandits for 25+ nautical miles.
4) Rocket motor burn-out. Missiles don't burn during their entire time of flight. Once the motor burns out and the missile is coasting, how does it keep track of it?
If it is an active sensor, and emits something, then it can gather more data... but anything active (radar, laser, etc) is also visible to other platforms with appropriate sensors.
I may be 100% wrong. I am basing all this on the image of the device itself, which appears to be an IR detector, probably cooled, with some sort of gimbal system that allows it to track IR.
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I am having an extremely difficult time imagining that device, which is apparently a passive optical sensor, doing the following:
1) Identifying a missile launch in all weather conditions, including IMC, or a SAM from below an undercast. Attenuation of the IR signal from the rocket motor will be severe. Are the mounted in the forward quadrant as well? Missiles arrive from all aspects.
2) Determining time of flight. An IR plume is simply an IR plume. A passive sensor cannot determine whether it is a MANPAD, a PAC-3, or a sidewinder. Given that, how does it know the velocity of the missile? By line of sight? This will fail as different missiles have differing intercept profiles. And what happens when the sensor detects a surface to surface rocket launch, like MLRS? Does it force the pilot to begin some wild, evasive maneuver based upon ANY IR plume detected? That would tend to detract from the mission a bit.
Can it 'triangulate' information of a threat by using multiple sensors simultaneously?
I think it doesn't distinguish all that. It just sends out a warning if anything like a missile comes near the aircraft regardless of its actual target.
3) Finally, recommend an evasive procedure: The geometry involved is astronomically complicated. I can see it deploying chaff, but if it pops flares willy-nilly, that may be the last thing you want. Flares are visible at extreme distances and can attract lurking bandits for 25+ nautical miles.
4) Rocket motor burn-out. Missiles don't burn during their entire time of flight. Once the motor burns out and the missile is coasting, how does it keep track of it?
Aren't IR and UV sensors supposed to detected radiation produced by friction with the air?
If it is an active sensor, and emits something, then it can gather more data... but anything active (radar, laser, etc) is also visible to other platforms with appropriate sensors.
I may be 100% wrong. I am basing all this on the image of the device itself, which appears to be an IR detector, probably cooled, with some sort of gimbal system that allows it to track IR.
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Main advantage of F-16 is that it can carry more fuel (esp with CFT), has more hardpoints and has bigger thrust/weight ratio. Therefore F-16 will have advantage in deep strike missions and long range interceptions. In CAS and protection of own territory they are quite equal.
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