gamercube

I was wondering whether batteries of SAM missiles (specifically the Akash missile, link here: AKASH) can be used to bring down enemy aircraft like the F-16/J-10/J-7 etc. According to the website, the missile has an intercept range of 30 km, is fire-and-forget, which makes it immune to electronic countermeasures, and a speed of Mach 2.6, which is more than enough to catch many fighter aircraft.

Would it be possible to deploy thousands of batteries of these effectively against an enemy who has a numerical advantage in terms of air power? They certainly seem much cheaper/less maintenance intensive to build and deploy than aircraft.

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Jimmy

They're considerably easier and cheaper to destroy, too. JDAMs have hit targets from further than 30km. And that's just a guided bomb, not even powered. Any proper defense will have different layers, not just a lot of any one thing. What happens when the enemy figures out what frequency to jam? Now your entire air defense system is useless.

Fire-and-forget is not at all immune to electronic attack, you just have to jam it before it launches. Or jam the seeker. More difficult, but not at all impossible.

Silent Hunter

Just what would it take to down a B2?

gamercube

According to wiki (JDAM) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. the max range of JDAM is 24 km. So a SAM having a range of 30 km or more would see the jet before the pilot had time to attack the SAM battery, right?

Hmm....But what if multiple SAM batteries were deployed against you? Say that you haven't been able to destroy the SAM using JDAMs, and 3 missiles have been fired at you. If you jam the seeker of one, would you get rid of all three missiles? Or do they employ different seeker frequencies on each missile? Or do you have to jam each missile separately? Also, would it be a realistic scenario for a pilot to jam all 3 incoming missiles, and then target the ground based battery successfully?

Feanor

You would need an integrated AA screen consisting of strat-SAMs, tac-SAMs of various ranges, and large numbers of SAM/SPAAG hybrids for close up defense. You might want to look into Soviet anti-air systems if you want to learn more. They were the ones furthest along in that direction.

GGTharos

Nope. The pilot can go supersonic and toss that weapon from 60km away in the right aircraft.

You turn around, light the burners and run - and you will outrun that missiles And yes, you CAN jam each missile separately. Most modern aircraft are capable of jamming multiple threats in each quadrant, though how many exactly is always classified.

You target the ground-based battery WELL before you enter its engagement zone, using your own radar, or known GPS data - you fly in, toss the bomb, turn around and run. And you'll likely not get hit ... 30km is against a head-on target. That missile, once the motor burns out it a big glider that does nothing other than slow down.

If you turn around and run at longer ranges, it will slow down too much to reach you. This is why all of this '30km intercept range' talk means nothing: A tactical fighter will be engaged closer to the battery because it can simply escape the missile by running away.

gamercube

Ahh....Thanks for explaining that, it was very helpful.

One more question though, what's the best SAM in service right now, and is it beatable using the tactics you mentioned above?

Feanor

Best SAM in whose service?

gamercube

Any service, anywhere in the world.

GGTharos

Any SAM is 'beatable' using these tactics, which is why you need an Air defense net, traps and tricks - SAMs will often not light up their radars until they get a cue from IADS that an enemy aircraft is well within their kill zone. So you can get a nasty surprise all of the sudden, and now you get a bit of a cat and mouse game ...

As for the best SAM? I wouldn't know - I don't think anyone does.

Jimmy

What kind of an answer are you looking for here?

Feanor

Well if the B-2 pilot is sitting there zoned out on LSD you could do it with a Foxhound. Any service anywhere in the world? I don't know. I like the S-400, or atleast what its supposed to be on paper. If it actually does all that it;s a pretty impressive SAM.

Silent Hunter

A SAM system, mainly.

urmomma158

Well that's a pretty difficult answer it depends on the B-2's weapons,support,flight profile etc. Also depends on the layout of your air defense system. A simple tactic would be to get a VHF radar to detect it and send a fighter at the B-2 or place a SAM trap along it's flight path however the effectiveness of the SAM trap will depend on how good your CCD is and the capability of the enemy's sensor systems.A fighter sent along the flight path of the B-2 would be risky since there will probabaly be a pack of F-22's guarding it, ready to fire AMRAAMS at any incoming plane.Also your VHF radar cannot target which is why you'll have to suprise it at close range with an IR sesnsor or X band radar.A B-2 can deploy over 200 SDB's which can belaunched at 40nm wheres the F-22 can carry eight a piece and due to its supercruise launch them from 60nm. There is no simple solution in defeating a stealth aircraft.

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Feanor