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I can't help but think that the F-35 was designed with something like this in mind considering the large space where the lift fan would be on the A and C models. I wonder how much heat a missile swatting laser generates? Presumably, excess heat could be dumped into the fuel. If they can get this to work in a practical manner, it will be a huge development for US air power.
In the case of an incoming missile, the laser really only has to make it miss, not outright destroy it. The special coating (once one is developed) will have to protect control surfaces, sensors, and other bits that don't like being covered in armor.
But I agree, airborne lasers will likely follow a similar pattern as low observable tech. They will appear to be a panacea at first until countermeasures are developed that reduce them to the status of still very important but no longer an impregnable one trick wonder.
Lasers may not be as hard to counter as some people think imho.
Could be as simple as giving an aircraft a coating with the right material properties.
It might be very hard to counter a 100 kW class laser do without drastically increasing the weight of the missile. First there are not that many good mid-IR reflecting materials. Secondly ablative materials take space and will change the aerodynamic properties of what ever they are attached on. Thirdly a heat shield also adds extra mass.
IMO missile designers will likely opt to make their missiles fly faster in salvos that decrease the reaction time allowed to the laser system. Then they might also use other measures like engineering greater heat tolerance into vulnerable components and spinning their missiles. Still, it will mean that missile designs will be more complicated and costly, and it will take more missiles to shoot down aircraft equipped with laser defenses.
I can't help but think that the F-35 was designed with something like this in mind considering the large space where the lift fan would be on the A and C models.
It was. There's a phone-booth sized cavity in there, and guess what the target size for a couple of laser programs is.
Lasers may not be as hard to counter as some people think imho.
Could be as simple as giving an aircraft a coating with the right material properties.
Those properties are inversely proportional to the properties needed to fly through air, moisture, and airborne particulates at high speed. You can't just coat the thing in a mirror, no matter how highly polished. A laser at the power level we're talking about would have no problem burning through the slightest imperfection. Bug smears, moisture from clouds or just dew, etc.
As usual, the trick isn't to defeat the weapon, it's to defeat the sensor behind it.
As usual, the trick isn't to defeat the weapon, it's to defeat the sensor behind it.
That being the case, you AWACS guys should've painted bulls-eyes on your foreheads
“He was the most prodigious personification of all human inferiorities. He was an utterly incapable, unadapted, irresponsible, psychopathic personality, full of empty, infantile fantasies, but cursed with the keen intuition of a rat or a guttersnipe. He represented the shadow, the inferior part of everybody’s personality, in an overwhelming degree, and this was another reason why they fell for him.”
Oh, there's no doubt about that. C2 is always a great target, and when one side is willing to fly it up close to you...
There are actually a few countries out there that like to try to mess with us with their acquisition and tracking radars, I guess just to let us know that they can actually see a 707 blasting stupid amounts of EM. Congrats, guys.
Oh, there's no doubt about that. C2 is always a great target, and when one side is willing to fly it up close to you...
There are actually a few countries out there that like to try to mess with us with their acquisition and tracking radars, I guess just to let us know that they can actually see a 707 blasting stupid amounts of EM. Congrats, guys.
Can you name names or would that be gauche?
“He was the most prodigious personification of all human inferiorities. He was an utterly incapable, unadapted, irresponsible, psychopathic personality, full of empty, infantile fantasies, but cursed with the keen intuition of a rat or a guttersnipe. He represented the shadow, the inferior part of everybody’s personality, in an overwhelming degree, and this was another reason why they fell for him.”
I would think the ability of the F-35s to share sensor information with other platforms will help take some of the heat off the AWACS guys. Or at least help retain greater awareness of the area if the AWACS is forced to beat a hasty retreat.
Within their area, sure. But it's nice having redundant datalinks and a radar picture 250 miles downrange. You're not going to get that from a fighter. And if AWACS is getting chased away, any F-35 in the air is likely to be pretty busy already.
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