p2prada
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Re: ADA LCA Tejas - IV
Apart from that the LCA has limited scanning capability, so it will have to position itself in front of the target if it has to catch anything. Then there are other parameters like whether your radar is looking down while the target is above you and so on. Then there is the question of EW. The target aircraft can saturate your small radar signals or even avoid your radar's targeting cone with maneuvers to beat your radar.
That's why while Rafale's radar is not at a particularly great advantage vis a vis LCA, Rafale's primary sensor is considered to be the Spectra, same as how it is on the F-22. The radar is meant for the final showdown.
Apart from that processing will take away most of LCA's advantages if it is not up to the mark of Rafale. So, we will have to wait and see this. If you consider LCA's avionics and Rafale's avionics are the same, even processing and sensor fusion, Rafale still has a lot of aerodynamic advantages and other design related advantages like more hardpoints, more range, better maneuverability, better acceleration etc. Adding weapons pods has nothing to do with 4.5th gen. We can add those on Mirage-IIIE also and it will still be a 3rd gen aircraft. Taking away the F-15E's EWP won't make it 4th gen either.
120 Km is simply a theoretical range anyway.
But if you are talking about MKI acting as the sensor while LCA does the shooter work, then that's pointless because then the sensor is severely restricted by the capabilities of the shooter. MKI can look into the air for up to 300 Km, and that's only today, and 300 Km is at best LCA's combat radius vs MKI's 1000+ Km radius. Overall, by making a LCA the shooter, you have severely restricted the capabilities of the sensor to just 300 Km. In case the shooter fails, then the sensor is put at risk along with the target aircraft's original objective.
And it is not just combat radius, but also on station time where the MKI has the time to maneuver itself to the target's disadvantage while LCA with its 40 min on station time is worthless in comparison. MKI cannot be expected to downgrade itself to LCA's restricted capabilities. Bring in another MKI and the sensor to shooter loop will work flawlessly. It gives enough time for the sensor to pick up targets and formulate strategies, including killing ground based SAMs that may interfere with the air based targets, because MKIs can switch to swing role when the situation calls for it. The large range of the MKI will deny the enemy's ability of protecting their "sensors."
In real fights, the sensor should be less capable than the shooter when it comes to making the kill. An AWACS is less capable than a fighter when it comes to making a kill. In the USAF, the sensor is the F-15E while the shooter is the F-22 as demonstrated in many exercises. So do you really expect the sensor to be the MKI while the shooter is LCA? Not a chance. You are only as fast as your weakest link.
That doesn't mean much of anything. If you are talking about Mk1, then size of the array matters not. If you are talking about Mk2, then we don't know anything yet to compare since we do not know what level of processing will be used on Mk2.However doesn't tejas have the same randome dia as the rafale?
Thrust has nothing to do with radar. The engine's electrical power output is important. Mk1 does not compare while we are yet to see what's on the Mk2.It won't be as effective as that of rafales radar due to less.thrust but if I.remember right the radar has a detection range of of 120 kms for.a 3 m^2 target.
Not necessarily. Radars work on finding targets by looking for returns. So they work on looking for returns that matter. For eg: The MKI may be looking for a target that gives away anything above 0.1m2 even if it is from 50 Km away while LCA may be tasked to find targets above 1m2 at say 80Km. So there is a huge capability difference when it comes down to it. Stealth is simply a term. If the radar cannot reduce its threshold of detection to that of the target, then the target is stealthy. As of what we know today, LCA's radar returns won't be smaller than a cruise missile's, it is the same for other Eurocanards too. So, LCA is not a stealthy target when even 1980s Mig-31s could detect cruise missiles from long distances.That means all the targets other than stealth will be seen well before this range?
Apart from that the LCA has limited scanning capability, so it will have to position itself in front of the target if it has to catch anything. Then there are other parameters like whether your radar is looking down while the target is above you and so on. Then there is the question of EW. The target aircraft can saturate your small radar signals or even avoid your radar's targeting cone with maneuvers to beat your radar.
That's why while Rafale's radar is not at a particularly great advantage vis a vis LCA, Rafale's primary sensor is considered to be the Spectra, same as how it is on the F-22. The radar is meant for the final showdown.
Apart from that processing will take away most of LCA's advantages if it is not up to the mark of Rafale. So, we will have to wait and see this. If you consider LCA's avionics and Rafale's avionics are the same, even processing and sensor fusion, Rafale still has a lot of aerodynamic advantages and other design related advantages like more hardpoints, more range, better maneuverability, better acceleration etc. Adding weapons pods has nothing to do with 4.5th gen. We can add those on Mirage-IIIE also and it will still be a 3rd gen aircraft. Taking away the F-15E's EWP won't make it 4th gen either.
R-77 won't be part of LCA. There is no official word on Astra Mk2 being used on LCA. Until things are official we can't speculate. As of today, Mk1 will fire Derby and there is only noise about Astra Mk1 being used on LCA. Nothing concrete until IAF orders it. Only go by what's official. There is no point debating "what if" scenarios when we run comparisons.In your last post you haven't mentioned r77 or astra mk 2? Won't mk1 use these as it has the interface to fire 120 km range bvr?
120 Km is simply a theoretical range anyway.
What do you mean by passively? If you are talking about sensor to shooter loop where one aircraft can turn on its radar and look for a target while the other turns off its radars and relies on datalink, then LCA can do that.By the way why don't you think it possible to guide tejas to the target passively? Mig 31 could do so so qssume the mkis are capable of doing so too.
But if you are talking about MKI acting as the sensor while LCA does the shooter work, then that's pointless because then the sensor is severely restricted by the capabilities of the shooter. MKI can look into the air for up to 300 Km, and that's only today, and 300 Km is at best LCA's combat radius vs MKI's 1000+ Km radius. Overall, by making a LCA the shooter, you have severely restricted the capabilities of the sensor to just 300 Km. In case the shooter fails, then the sensor is put at risk along with the target aircraft's original objective.
And it is not just combat radius, but also on station time where the MKI has the time to maneuver itself to the target's disadvantage while LCA with its 40 min on station time is worthless in comparison. MKI cannot be expected to downgrade itself to LCA's restricted capabilities. Bring in another MKI and the sensor to shooter loop will work flawlessly. It gives enough time for the sensor to pick up targets and formulate strategies, including killing ground based SAMs that may interfere with the air based targets, because MKIs can switch to swing role when the situation calls for it. The large range of the MKI will deny the enemy's ability of protecting their "sensors."
In real fights, the sensor should be less capable than the shooter when it comes to making the kill. An AWACS is less capable than a fighter when it comes to making a kill. In the USAF, the sensor is the F-15E while the shooter is the F-22 as demonstrated in many exercises. So do you really expect the sensor to be the MKI while the shooter is LCA? Not a chance. You are only as fast as your weakest link.