4 ms·

Did the balloon have enough heat to trigger the seeker or did the pilot have to aim the missile and it exploded when it got close?

prettyStandard 4y ago
FTA: Laser fuze. I assume that means it detonates on proximity measured by Laser.
ironick09 4y ago
Missiles can track things other than heat signatures.
- closewith 4y ago
  As far as has ever been publicly disclosed, there is no version of the AIM-9X with a non-IR seeker.
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
  - ceejayoz 4y ago
    Each of the variants, including the AIM-9X, are listed on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AIM-9_Sidewinder https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AIM-9_Sidewinder as "IR/Laser fuze". Boresight shot towards a slow, non-maneuvering target plus laser fuze should be just fine.
    - closewith 4y ago
      What do you mean by boresight shot? Even in BORE mode, the AIM-9X seeker tracks the IR signature of the target.
      - ceejayoz 4y ago
        Arm missile, fire straight ahead, let proximity fuze do the work. AIM-9X has demonstrated capability to fire without a lock.
        closewith 4y ago
        I think you are confused about the difference between fuzing and seeking. There is no publicly known way to fire an AIM-9X without seeking. It can be fired with out the seeker having a lock and given updated guidance from the launch platform via datalink to direct it towards the target so that it can then acquire the target with its own seeker. Even in BORE mode, the seeker attempts to acquire the target immediately. The fuze is a set of two separate mechanisms, an active IR laser and photodiodes for the non-contact fuze and a contact fuze.
  - viciousvoxel 4y ago
    Perhaps they painted the target with an IR laser. Just a guess.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
closewith 4y ago
Probably a very clear differential between the balloon in the sun and the cold sky around it.
ranger207 4y ago
Modern Sidewinders have focal plane arrays, which is basically a fancy military way of saying "it's a camera instead of just a single sensor". https://twitter.com/MergeNewsletter/status/1621984654898110464?t=5FWu_3Zrp-mszjuMnMx7XA&s=19 https://twitter.com/MergeNewsletter/status/16219846548981104...

prettyStandard 4y ago

FTA: Laser fuze. I assume that means it detonates on proximity measured by Laser.

ironick09 4y ago

Missiles can track things other than heat signatures.

closewith 4y ago
As far as has ever been publicly disclosed, there is no version of the AIM-9X with a non-IR seeker.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- ceejayoz 4y ago
  Each of the variants, including the AIM-9X, are listed on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AIM-9_Sidewinder https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AIM-9_Sidewinder as "IR/Laser fuze". Boresight shot towards a slow, non-maneuvering target plus laser fuze should be just fine.
  - closewith 4y ago
    What do you mean by boresight shot? Even in BORE mode, the AIM-9X seeker tracks the IR signature of the target.
    - ceejayoz 4y ago
      Arm missile, fire straight ahead, let proximity fuze do the work. AIM-9X has demonstrated capability to fire without a lock.
      - closewith 4y ago
        I think you are confused about the difference between fuzing and seeking. There is no publicly known way to fire an AIM-9X without seeking. It can be fired with out the seeker having a lock and given updated guidance from the launch platform via datalink to direct it towards the target so that it can then acquire the target with its own seeker. Even in BORE mode, the seeker attempts to acquire the target immediately. The fuze is a set of two separate mechanisms, an active IR laser and photodiodes for the non-contact fuze and a contact fuze.
- viciousvoxel 4y ago
  Perhaps they painted the target with an IR laser. Just a guess.

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

closewith 4y ago

Probably a very clear differential between the balloon in the sun and the cold sky around it.

ranger207 4y ago

Modern Sidewinders have focal plane arrays, which is basically a fancy military way of saying "it's a camera instead of just a single sensor". https://twitter.com/MergeNewsletter/status/1621984654898110464?t=5FWu_3Zrp-mszjuMnMx7XA&s=19 https://twitter.com/MergeNewsletter/status/16219846548981104...