7 ms·
It'd never be close enough to ground fire to matter. You're using altitude for general line of sight and then some very quality antennas to pick up anything in
by stevehawk 8y ago
It'd never be close enough to ground fire to matter. You're using altitude for general line of sight and then some very quality antennas to pick up anything in a very significant radius.
- dsfyu404ed 8y ago>It'd never be close enough to ground fire to matter. Famous last words. MANPADS are getting better all the time.
- walshemj 8y agoGetting to 20k probably not any time soon
- dingaling 8y agoSA-25 tops-out at about 4.5km, 14,800ft, against a manoeuvering target. Each successive generation of Russian MANPADS seems to push another 500m higher. Bear in mind that the Airlander's ceiling was previously stated at 16,000ft so there's not a lot of margin.
- outworlder 8y agoFL 20 ceiling is not high at all. That's the lowest Class A airspace goes, which is where you'll find most commercial flights.
- userbinator 8y agoMH17 was shot down from the ground while flying at 33,000 feet, so 20k is definitely not out of reach.
- peteretep 8y agoBut not by small arms fire, or a shoulder-mounted device — it was essentially shot down by an anti-aircraft installation (wheeled though it is)
- dingaling 8y agoBut within the ceiling of 37mm or 40mm flak, which are towable behind a pick-up.
- ceejayoz 8y agoThese things aren't going to go anywhere near a SA-17 site. They're for taking on ISIS-style insurgencies, not nation-state actors.