Scared of mid-airs

On Sun, 30 Jul 2006 13:11:22 -0500, "Jim Macklin"
wrote:

With a few possible exceptions, fighter aircraft radar is
two types, a search and a fire control radar.

Actually that's only one weapon system radar. The radar searches, if
necessary a target is designated and data is fed to weapons, and if
necessary the radar is focussed on a sub-set of the entire scan
envelope to track the target. Some systems allow for multiple track,
some for continuous scanning while simultaneously tracking, some
hand-off to autonomous weapons which don't need updates from the
launch platform.

Both have a
fairly small cone in which to detect a target.

Well, if you call 45-60 degrees left and right of center and multiple
bar width scan a small cone, I guess you're right. But if we are
discussing clearing your own flight path, the scan is very adequate.

They depend
on being vectored in the general direction of a threat in
order to detect a target.

Quite simply NO! While GCI vectoring is fine (or AWACS), older systems
worked quite nicely with dedicated search sectors for flight members
(fighters don't fly alone,) and new systems have data fusion systems
that integrate data from multiple sources in the aircraft display.

Also, military aircraft have
radar detectors that warn the pilot/crew that they are being
painted by somebody's radar.

RHAW or RWR is not relevant to the discussion of flight path clearance
here. It also is dependent upon antennae and programming to detect the
appropriate frequency and pulse rates of threat radars for
presentation.

But it isn't really a system designed for anti-collision
use, but to keep from being shot down or to find a target to
shoot.

Or for navigation or for mutual support or for flight path clearance
or for weather avoidance, etc. etc.

The F14 even has a telescope to allow visual
confirmation of targets that are 100 miles away after the
radar has found the target, rules of engagement require
visual confirmation.

Some F-4E aircraft had TISEO and some F-15s had a system called Eagle
Eye (might have had other nomenclature or been updated later) but
these weren't reaching out to 100 miles.

Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
"When Thunder Rolled"
www.thunderchief.org
www.thundertales.blogspot.com