Best Fighter (2 Viewers)

[the lancaster kicks ass]

i'm amazed the F-117 doesn't carry radar, are you sure??

 

[Lightning Guy]

Very sure, look at the nose of the F-117. Where would you put a radar?

 

[plan_D]

They have tracking, and targeting systems, Lanc. Their RADAR is given to them by the AWACs, which are mainly Boeing E-3 Sentrys.

 

[Lightning Guy]

They are equipped with IR looking forward and downward, and that works just fine for dropping bombs.

 

[the lancaster kicks ass]

AWACs

at the risk of sounding like brad, what does that mean??

 

[cheddar cheese]

im stumped too

 

[plan_D]

Airborne Warning and Control System. Have you ever seen those planes with the huge thing on top like a mushroom, that's an AWAC the most widely used one is the E-3 Sentry.

 

[Lightning Guy]

It functions as a command post in the sky providing information to friendly aircraft about the location of enemy fighters and directing other fighters to engage them.

 

[plan_D]

Flying high they rid the need for every aircraft to carry RADAR. Very effective aircraft, and one of, if not the most important aircraft in air battle.
The Shackleton was used as an AWAC, the Nimrod was an AWAC, the Hawkeye is an AWAC. But as I said the E-3 Sentry, which is based off the 707 airframe is the mainstay AWAC of western forces.

 

[plan_D]

And as far as I know the Russian (and former Soviet States) AWAC is still the Tupolev Tu-126 'Moss'.

 

[Lightning Guy]

No. The Russians have an updated version, the A-50 Mainstay. It is based off the same airframe as the Il-76 Candid transport.

 

[plan_D]

Yes, I forgot about that. The Il-76SK or A-50 'Mainstay. A strange looking monster, but I'm sure very effective.

 

[Lightning Guy]

The Russians claim that it is able to detect stealth aircraft, but that may just be propaganda. I've never heard what range they are supposed to be able to detect a steath plane. If it is only 20 miles or so then that ability is not tha useful. Still, it offers the Russians a very big 'eye in the sky.'

 

[plan_D]

I've heard that as well. They say that their supposedly obselete RADAR has less ground coverage but gives back more of a signature on planes, so they pick up F-117s.
I heard the B-2 isn't stealth anyway, it just flies under the RADAR. You don't really know though because even though the wall has come down there's always bitterness and a sense of supremecy between East and West so there's so much propaganda.

 

[Lightning Guy]

I don't know about the B-2 flying under the radar. When it was first developed it lacked the radar modes needed to make low-altitude navigation feasible.

 

[the lancaster kicks ass]

i just thought it was designed to give a low radar signature??

 

[Lightning Guy]

It does. Recent software additions have allowed it to fly nap-of-the-earth if need be which should make it even harder to detect.

 

[plan_D]

That is what a Stealth is supposed to do, yes. I have seen, and read that the B-2s stealth capability isn't that great, so they just fly under the RADAR.

 

[Lightning Guy]

I doubt it is as great as the F-117 or F-22 simply because of its size. That being said, I imagine it still has a smaller RCS that just about anything else out there.

 

[the lancaster kicks ass]

Recent software additions have allowed it to fly nap-of-the-earth if need be

what's nap-of-the-earth??