"Keith Willshaw" wrote in message ...
"John R Weiss" wrote in message
news:NT07c.50316$SR1.90094@attbi_s04...
"Henry J Cobb" wrote...
With a stealthy fighter you could make an attack on another aircraft
without alerting them, except for the IR signature of the missile's
rocket or ramjet engine.

Is anybody planning a stealth AAM that uses a turbojet?

Given its speed and short time of flight, an IR AAM is already stealthy
except
for the exhaust plume.

That and the heat emitted by the rocket motor which can trip
a sensor.

A smokeless exhaust would help "complete" the stealth.
OTOH, if the exhaust plume is your first and only indicator of the missile
launch, you may well be too late for evasion...

A turbojet engine would make the missile slower, bigger, heavier, and less
maneuverable.

A ramjet on the other hand could give better range and be less visible
in IR which may well be why the Meteor AAM is being designed round
one. Note though that Meteor has an active radar guidance system.

I think that the use of a ramjet is primarily to do with range;
rockets need to carry both fuel and oxidant, ramjets only need fuel
(the oxidant is in the air) so for the same size/weight, can have a
much longer range.

I think that the principal warning of missile attack that jets get is
when they are 'painted' by the enemy fighter's radar. Of course, they
would also detect the radar emissions of an incoming active-radar AAM.

Tony Williams
Military gun and ammunition website: http://www.quarry.nildram.co.uk
Discussion forum at: http://forums.delphiforums.com/autogun/messages/