War Man wrote:
Oh yeah I almost forgot, the U.S. navy have pilot helmets that make you simply look at a target and you are locked on the aircraft(no need to get behind the enemy aircraft to lock on anymore).
Edit: corrected my grammar
You haven't needed to lock on from behind for a long time now. The only reason you've needed to lock on from behind before was that if you're using one of those short range infra-red missiles, you need to get a lock from behind because that's the heat source. That's old school these days. Nowadays infra-red missiles are all-aspect (well, the modern ones) and non-infra-red missiles (radar ones, they're the BVR/long range ones) have never needed to lock on from behind.
Speaking of A2A missile tech, you guys should check out the Israeli Python 5. That's some crazy shit. This is what you call cutting edge
http://www.israeli-weapons.com/weapons/ … thon5.htmlBy definition, the Python 5 is considered to be a short range air-to-air missile, yet its range exceeds regular air-to-air missiles, and is more close to what is technically called BVR (beyond visual range) missiles. Those missiles can be shot upon targets which are not visually seen at the moment of launch, and are acquired by the missile itself during its flight path. New technologies implemented in the Python 5 give it maneuvering and launching skills unimaginable just few years ago. Instead of talking about certain “killing hemisphere” we are talking about an ability to shoot any target at any angle, including backwards launch (!). This ability is possible by applying LOAL (lock on after launch) technology. In oppose to LOBL (lock on before launch), that is used in all short range air-to-air missiles (excluding the Python 5 of course) in LOAL mode the pilot can launch a missile without being locked on the target, by getting the aircraft's estimated location from an array of sensors which are deployed on the launching aircraft. From the moment the Python 5 is launched, its head seeker scans the designated area constantly while it flies in a direct path to the estimated location of the target. Once the missile “sees” the target, it employs its unique, first of its kind, electro-optical head-seeker and locks on the target. Then the missile switches to a close hunt combat which holds no future to the target aircraft.
Conventional air-to-air missiles see targets as dots - a fact which makes it hard for the missile to tell between true or false targets .The Python 5's head seeker literally sees a clear image of the target and background, giving it an incredible advantage over other missiles by authenticating the target, thus reducing the chance of being mislead by counter measures. Using this technology allows the luxury of locking on a target after the launch. The transition to this unique technology required a development by RAFAEL, which exists in only several countries in the world. Using an electro-optical head seeker also makes it easier to locate and lock on low-heat signature aircrafts such as UAVs, helicopters or even cruise missiles. These aircrafts can fly very close to the ground and can be very hard to detect using regular head seekers. The Python 5 with the electro-optical head can easily accomplish that, by creating a sharp target image and locking on it. In order to achieve perfect performance and tracking ability, the engineers at RAFAEL tested the Python 5 against all advanced counter measures. Usually this is a tough challenge, as the missile would have to handle counter measures in the future. But that was not an impossible challenge to RAFAEL, which also develops the future counter measures. The unique head-seeker also extends the lethality of the missile by aiming it to the target's most vulnerable areas. Most heat seeking missiles tend to home on the hottest spot of the aircraft which is normally the rear exhaust system. In modern combat history, some aircrafts that were hit by a missile in that area, managed to survive the flight until the landing. The Python 5, which acquires a sharp image of the target can home on the most critical areas of the aircraft, such as the cockpit or the central area, and significantly improve the chances for a shot down.
Last edited by Mek-Stizzle (2008-09-13 06:38:41)