AviationBanter - View Single Post

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On 3 Jun 2006 16:31:20 -0700, wrote:

Do we even need to shoot the *******s?
No. Unless the *******s mount some sort of sensor to detect a close-by
helicopter or rapidly closing fighter and decide to shoot something
nasty its way. Minimal range (couple of hundred meters) will do. Don't
even need to mount it on all UAVs ($$ reasons), just on say 20%, so
your helicopter/fighter will learn soon enough it's not wise to come
too close. The warhead does not even need to be heavy enough to ensure
kill, just to make considerable damage/mission kill probable.
Alternatively, make the primary weapon of the UAV to be a versaitile
short range missile(s) and reuse it for such self-defence as well.

Is not your small, light, versitile, cheap (so you can launch a lot of
them and confound and confuse sensors) now becoming large, heavy,
versitile, and expensive?

Will mess up also with your 'gunning' them down discussion, if you had
to shoot at them from far away.

Still an option, I would think.

Acoustically detecting that a helicopter is nearby is really not that
tough...

True enough.

For the really short range you need (to prevent a fighter to destroy
you by its wake turbulence) there might be several simple and cheap
detection/targetting methods available.

But every pound you use for self defense is a pound less for sensors
or offensive capability. Where do the lines cross?

Bill Kambic
Haras Lucero, Kingston, TN
Mangalarga Marchador: Uma Raça, Uma Paixão