Lock-on

[boxboy28]

i stole it from a guy on the AMD forums

[muckmaw]

Originally posted by Capt. Pork
Where did you get that avatar? It's funny as hell!

http://www.stupidvideos.com

Theres a bunch of them there. I think this one is called Evil Penguin

[AKIron]

Originally posted by GScholz
The B-2, F-117 and F-22 are not invisible to radar. However the stealth technology reduces the radars effective range opening up gaps in radar networks that allow these aircraft to avoid detection and slip through defences. And European made radars are not "old", they are very much comparable to US systems, even Russian radars are getting up to speed now that they can import important computer technology.

The Eurofighter, Rafale and Gripen are all stealthy from the front aspect (heading towards you).

Don't know about the others but the F-117 is effectively radar invisible. That effective radar range you mentioned is so short as to be unimportant. No matter how sophisticated the computer controlling the transmissions or analyzing the radar returns it'll come up negative if there is no  reflected energy to analyze.

[SFRT - Frenchy]

Originally posted by MC_Honky
Straffo,

 I read  that the Eurofighter Consortium couldn't stand working with the French contingent.  That the French contingent made unreasonable demands and fought the consortium on such trivial things like the name of the fighter.  When France pulled out- the consortium basically celebrated.  France justified the pull out in part- by predicting large oversees orders for the Rafale- which would in turn offset the very high production costs of “going it alone.” To date- France hasn’t secured one overseas order.  Ha Ha.  First- we humiliate your country by dominating your dumb bicycle race.  Go Lance Armstrong!!  Then we take all of your fighter business costing your country billions.  Viva La USA.  Na na na.

When France pulled out, they alone designed and test flew the Rafale and posted an operational version way before the "consorsium". France was not pleased with the Eurofighter was conceived, especially the slow down created by having to please all parties. (Before you extrapolate, I didn't say the Eurofighter was a POS, or the Rafale better).

Honky, what sales do the Eurofighter have so far?

[SFRT - Frenchy]

[AKIron]

Originally posted by GScholz
The F-117 has a RCS about the size of a bird, however radars (even very old radars) are able to detect bird sized targets albeit at a drastically reduced range (80-90% compared to large aircraft). The F-117 is not invisible, just very stealthy.

And there ya have it. Most militaries aren't going to waste their missiles shooting down birds on the off chance it might be an enemy plane even if they can track a bird. If they do they'll run out of missiles long before the 117 gets there. And besides, a 117 could easily destroy the radar site before detected.

[Chairboy]

Devils advocate, what if all they need to do is look for birds that are flying at a couple hundred miles per hour?

[AKIron]

Originally posted by Chairboy
Devils advocate, what if all they need to do is look for birds that are flying at a couple hundred miles per hour?

Range is a key factor. I don't think that F-117 is going to show on anyone's radar at greater than 5 miles. Not enough time to do much of anything about it even if you can track it then, which I doubt.

[straffo]

Originally posted by SFRT - Frenchy

Stop tu vas finir par facher les 70% de commandant sylvestres présents ici

[MC_Honky]

The Illustrated Directory of Fighters by Mike Spick

page 106

"In, 1983, Britan, France, Germany, Italy and Spain had more or less agreed on a common spec. for a multi-role fighter, but in the case of France, this was less rather than more. Dassault
demanded both design and industrial leadership....this was unacceptable to the other four"

You see France needs to step back a moment and look in the Mirror and repeat the following:

"We are no longer a first rate power.  The World is dominated by an alliance of Anglos including the US, UK and Australia (intentionaly omits Canada).  The Worlds most powerful man is a Texan who has an I.Q. of a cucumber and our national pastime (Tour de France) is dominated by a Texan with one testical (Lance Armstrong)."

Quel Dommage

[straffo]

how this :

Originally posted by MC_Honky
"In, 1983, Britan, France, Germany, Italy and Spain had more or less agreed on a common spec. for a multi-role fighter, but in the case of France, this was less rather than more. Dassault
demanded both design and industrial leadership....this was unacceptable to the other four"

compare to this :

fought the consortium on such trivial things like the name of the fighter

[Nilsen]

The 117 can be tracked by radar at close/medium ranges depending on the radar used if the operator and/or the software knows what to look for.

When they set waypoints for a 117 mission, the route is planned so the plane is flown inbetween known radar stations to minimise the risk of detection. They also has ESM gear that makes them able to change their route when they detect a radar emition (like almost every other military plane)

When i was in the navy the software for our radar systems was modified to "detect" both the 117 and other new planes as the data came in.  

The 117's are great planes, and they are alot harder to dectect than any other "standard" operational fighter, but if you belive that it is even close to invisible to a modern radar system with a skilled operator you are sadly mistaken.

[Spooky]

Originally posted by GScholz

For your information a Russian made SA-6 shot down an F-117 in Kosovo. The SA-6 is a radar guided SAM system that became operational in 1966.

I read somewhere that the SAM which killed the F117 in Kosovo was guided optically, and since the 117  seemed to have flown the same route twice, they were expecting him...

seems like a lucky shot to me, caused by poor mission planning : if you know there is "probably" a plane in a particular sector and at a particular time, it gets a lot easier to successfully engage it.

[MC_Honky]

The F-117 is not but the B-2 is....

[Nilsen]

are you trying to tell us that the B" is "invisible" ?