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VHF band radars have too many problems to be relied upon operationally. The clutter floor is so high you can't use them to guide missiles. So you use them to
by gozur88 9y ago
VHF band radars have too many problems to be relied upon operationally. The clutter floor is so high you can't use them to guide missiles. So you use them to cue high frequency radars... which are just the sort of wavelengths at which the F-22 and F-35 were designed to be low-observable.
IOW, VHF radars tell you generally where incoming planes are so you have a chance of shooting at them when they're right on top of you.
https://thediplomat.com/2014/08/the-f-35-vs-the-vhf-threat/ https://thediplomat.com/2014/08/the-f-35-vs-the-vhf-threat/
IR is even worse. I wouldn't want to stake my life on something that only works in good weather.
If the Russians are relying on VHF and IRST they're going to get slaughtered in a stand-up fight against stealth aircraft.
- deepnotderp 9y agoI don't think anyone is proposing magically shrinking VHF radar into a teeny package, but the idea is to set up a kill chain. If the VHF radar can point out the general location and IR and powerful radar such as the Zaslon can seek it out.
- jabl 9y agoI remember reading a long time ago about multi-static radar systems, were you have multiple transmitters and receivers in different locations. IIRC the idea was that a) transmitters can be very cheap and even unmanned (so it doesn't make sense to fire a $million HARM to whack a $1000 transmitter) b) to the extent that stealth aircraft are designed to not reflect incoming waves back towards the transmitter, multi-static radar systems could detect such aircraft better than traditional systems. No idea if anything like this is actually in use anywhere, or whether it was/is just an academic curiosity.
- gozur88 9y agoThe Chinese were trying to develop a system that used emissions from cell towers. No idea how far they got with it.
- deepnotderp 9y agoPassive bistatic radar? Lockheed(?) already had its "Silent Sentry" system and it's seen renewed interest due to massive cell phone use.