On Thu, 16 Oct 2003 13:03:32 -0700, Harry Andreas wrote:
In article ,
wrote:
They'd be well advised not to fire on a Typhoon either, since it's
better than anything the USN is likely to have for some time (and I
think the F-35C falls in that category).

Is it better than an Amraam?

Would the F-35 even get close enough to fire an AMRAAM? Meteor is
longer range, and since the Typhoon is faster it could (depending on
the tactical situation) decide whether to break contact.

Speed doesn't matter as much when the opposing platform is stealthy.
If you can't "see" it you can't shoot it, so speed does not dictate the
engagement anymore.

According to
http://www.eurofighter.starstreak.net/Eurofighter/sensors.html,
Typhoon can use infra-red to detect aircraft at a range of 30-50
nm (48-90 km), and possibly up to 80 nm (148 km).

By comparison, AMRAAM has an estimated range of "17+ nm" (32 km).
(From http://www.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?fsID=79).

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