Military Aviation > Military Aircraft

F-15e flies with new radar system

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Webmaster:
ow, I just imagined that becoming an issue with powerful electronics so tightly packed together in such a confined space, but yeah maybe you are right and it isn't an issue as the heat can be conducted away to the frame. ma bad.

Webmaster:

--- Quote from: shawn a on March 07, 2011, 09:19:41 PM ---How about distributed aperture arrays? I know the -15 doesn't have that, but I thouight the PAK-FA, and the F-35 were supposed to have that system.

--- End quote ---

True, but they don't have the range/power of the main radar unit.

shawn a:
No, Niels, not at all yer bad, I've read repeatedly that cooling is a major issue with avionics, I just wonder WHY, with all that cold air available.
In another vein, how about using one pair of AAM fins as the pylon, so when the missile is gone, the stealth remains. (Of course, the missile and it's fins would have to be somewhat stealthy to begin with) Sounds doable to me.

Webmaster:
I looked at some MiG-31 images, the main bay showed a lot of line-replaceable units, but plenty of room to allow air to circulate (not the smallest aircraft though).

I'm thinking the air in the compartment is cold, but the heating issues occur within the LRU themselves.

Webmaster:

--- Quote from: shawn a on March 08, 2011, 05:57:29 AM ---In another vein, how about using one pair of AAM fins as the pylon, so when the missile is gone, the stealth remains. (Of course, the missile and it's fins would have to be somewhat stealthy to begin with) Sounds doable to me.

--- End quote ---

Bit off-topic...

you want to be stealthy before your attack not afterwards. but ok, let's think about it.

Your missile may not require a launch rail then, meaning it's suitable for carriage inside a bay or (semi-)recessed anyway. Aside from that, pylons provide clearance for the flaps/ailerons where needed, so if you want to do without them, your missile requires large fins, while development thanks to TVC and fly-by-wire allows small fins in turn producing smaller cross section. It has to support the weight (or rather forces), so your fin needs to be reinforced. It has to be a non-moving fin, or have a lock mechanism, otherwise the weapon will swivel while suspended, would be fun to see though. Unless you use a larger umbilical cord, you also need to fit your data+power connector to the top of the fin. Also,  unless it's not too long, it still does not fit under the outer wing section, unless you'd want to add a fin in the middle? If carried on stations where it didn't replace a large pylon in the first place...it increases RCS more than a semi-recessed AAM would.

Pylons can be made stealthy. I don't see why you'd build a special AAM to get rid of them. You'd still need to develop pylons for launch rail type weapons and everything else in the inventory without the Shawn-fins.  ;)

I'd say it's over-engineering to get rid of something simple and multi-purpose, without fully solving the (small)problem it presented.

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