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APS systems like Trophy aren't anything special. And radar already exists that can track and target drones down to FPV size. Most AD radars are tuned to ignore

by greedo 1y ago

APS systems like Trophy aren't anything special. And radar already exists that can track and target drones down to FPV size. Most AD radars are tuned to ignore birds and small objects that aren't moving in a consistent speed and direction. So it's not a matter of solving a detection/tracking problem, but instead a matter of enough effectors to take down a swarm. Covering an airbase will be expensive, and there's the problem of false positives; say you deploy 4 Skynex systems around an air base. Drones attack, you down them but the fratricide ends up damaging aircraft anyways. C-RAM has been around protecting bases in the Middle East for years, and those 30mm rounds have to land somewhere...

jandrewrogers 1y ago
Again, you are missing the point. The technical capability exists, you are arguing the details. Obsessing over APS isn’t materially contributing to your argument. The technology isn’t constrained by your examples. We are not talking about traditional AD radars. Trying to make it about AD radars is disingenuous. You are pretending that things that have proven solutions don’t actually have solutions. I’m not saying the current set of solutions implementations is perfect but you are not making a credible argument that they don’t exist. Local battle-space sensing is very fast and very effective as a matter of record, at least in the US arsenal. That tech may not exist in the Ukraine/Russia theater but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.
- greedo 1y ago
  Pretty sure that I'm not the one who brought up Trophy systems? Yes the technology exists to mitigate some of the risk. It's not deployed currently, and is very expensive. There are significant limitations to these systems, and most haven't seen combat. You're trivializing a complex problem by pointing out that it's technically feasible, when it's more than just "we have the technology." Show me a "proven system" in the US arsenal that can protect a large airbase from this type of attack. Not similar technology that the DoD has talked about converting to address this threat, but purchased, deployed systems.
mrguyorama 1y ago
>C-RAM has been around protecting bases in the Middle East for years, and those 30mm rounds have to land somewhere... Actually no, the CRAM based Phalanx systems use self-detonating ammo. They explode after their tracer runs out. The Naval versions use kinetic penetration rounds with tungsten cores and do not self detonate. Also they are 20mm
- greedo 1y ago
  Thanks for the correction. My brain always associates anything Phalanx with 30mm.

by greedo 1y ago

jandrewrogers 1y ago

Again, you are missing the point. The technical capability exists, you are arguing the details. Obsessing over APS isn’t materially contributing to your argument. The technology isn’t constrained by your examples. We are not talking about traditional AD radars. Trying to make it about AD radars is disingenuous. You are pretending that things that have proven solutions don’t actually have solutions. I’m not saying the current set of solutions implementations is perfect but you are not making a credible argument that they don’t exist. Local battle-space sensing is very fast and very effective as a matter of record, at least in the US arsenal. That tech may not exist in the Ukraine/Russia theater but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.

greedo 1y ago
Pretty sure that I'm not the one who brought up Trophy systems? Yes the technology exists to mitigate some of the risk. It's not deployed currently, and is very expensive. There are significant limitations to these systems, and most haven't seen combat. You're trivializing a complex problem by pointing out that it's technically feasible, when it's more than just "we have the technology." Show me a "proven system" in the US arsenal that can protect a large airbase from this type of attack. Not similar technology that the DoD has talked about converting to address this threat, but purchased, deployed systems.

mrguyorama 1y ago

>C-RAM has been around protecting bases in the Middle East for years, and those 30mm rounds have to land somewhere... Actually no, the CRAM based Phalanx systems use self-detonating ammo. They explode after their tracer runs out. The Naval versions use kinetic penetration rounds with tungsten cores and do not self detonate. Also they are 20mm

greedo 1y ago
Thanks for the correction. My brain always associates anything Phalanx with 30mm.