IRIAF | News and Discussions

[Oldman1]

I’m under the impression Composite material used in wings is for strength not for “light weight purposes” of the passenger plane. That is why you can see these wings take insane pressures and not break.

Composite material does indeed reduce weight, but more importantly radar against composite material reacts completely different than against metals and alloys object.

In a smaller military object (note not passenger plane) it’s use is to reduce radar reflection and at the same time reduce weight as an added benefit.

Well thanks for correcting me, then its use for strengthening the plane. Whether you think its design for LO, you can see the Global Hawk and notice its nothing like the LO of the RQ 170 or the RQ 180 as some call for the other drone for stealth recon.

Time index: 2:20.

 

[sanel1412]

As I said in long ranges you can't fire ARH missiles and go away . You must feed the missile data on where the target is . So the disadvantage you mentioned about SARH missiles still exist in ARH missiles .

Yes, at Long ranges even ARH missile must be feed from aircraft, but only 1% air combat happened at long ranges... 99% kils is within 30-40km... So in most cases you can fire Aim54 and aim 120 in fire forget mode

 

[sanel1412]

Well thanks for correcting me, then its use for strengthening the plane. Whether you think its design for LO, you can see the Global Hawk and notice its nothing like the LO of the RQ 170 or the RQ 180 as some call for the other drone for stealth recon.

Time index: 2:20.

You can build stealth aircraft in two ways, one is stealth design and second is using NON reflecting Materials... RQ4 came in few versions, one that Iran shut down implement many stealth characteris, on images you can see NON reflecting Materials used in whole airframe, without metal above..also you can see paint is mixed with small objects(Like dust) but it is designed in special shape, third on images also you can sea they covered every Thing that produced Heat... And also, I heard myself 4 different US general confirmation This RQ4 was built with stealth characteris, now it probably has much larger RCS than aircrafts that implement both, stealth shape design and NON reflecting Materials... Rafael is considered also as aircraft with stealth features, as many other that do not implement any stealth shape design...

 

[TheImmortal]

Well thanks for correcting me, then its use for strengthening the plane. Whether you think its design for LO, you can see the Global Hawk and notice its nothing like the LO of the RQ 170 or the RQ 180 as some call for the other drone for stealth recon.

Time index: 2:20.

You seem a tad bit confused. You are confusing stealth design VLO/LO with an object that merely has radar absorbent materials. They are two very different things.

RQ-170/180 are VLO objects for use in contested airspace.

Global Hawk was designed for recon from stand off range and merely used radar minimization using composite materials. It’s design was not VLO or even LO.

Instead certain measures such as radar absorbing paint and materials were used to make it smaller on radar vs if it was a pure alloy design.

Global Hawk mostly relied on high altitude and ECW/decoy for protection. It was not ment to used in contested airspace and instead “straddle” the borders of hostile countries and use its powerful instruments to look inside for recon.

 

[Oldman1]

You seem a tad bit confused. You are confusing stealth design VLO/LO with an object that merely has radar absorbent materials. They are two very different things.

RQ-170/180 are VLO objects for use in contested airspace.

Global Hawk was designed for recon from stand off range and merely used radar minimization using composite materials. It’s design was not VLO or even LO.

Instead certain measures such as radar absorbing paint and materials were used to make it smaller on radar vs if it was a pure alloy design.

Global Hawk mostly relied on high altitude and ECW/decoy for protection. It was not ment to used in contested airspace and instead “straddle” the borders of hostile countries and use its powerful instruments to look inside for recon.

Doesn't passenger planes have composite materials? Intentions to make it less detected by radar then?

 

[TheImmortal]

Doesn't passenger planes have composite materials? Intentions to make it less detected by radar then?

Any radar absorbent benefit of composite materials in the wing and tail (for strength purposes) is well off set by both the massive alloy body and the aircraft’s radar transponder, firing radiation in all directions.

 

[Oldman1]

Any radar absorbent benefit of composite materials in the wing and tail (for strength purposes) is well off set by both the massive alloy body and the aircraft’s radar transponder, firing radiation in all directions.

Well its just weird to see the Global Hawk painted in radar absorbent materials but don't paint the wings.

 

[TheImmortal]

Well its just weird to see the Global Hawk painted in radar absorbent materials but don't paint the wings.

Hence why it’s being replaced

Global Hawk Drones: Lockheed, Northrop In 'Big Race' To Replace US Air Force’s Ageing, Obsolete UAVs?

There are speculations that US defense giants Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman could be in the race to offer a successor to US Air Force’s (USAF) Global Hawk drones. E-4B Nightwatch – US’ Doomsday Aircraft Lands On A Secret Military Base Near Area 51 With A ‘VVIP’ On Board The USAF is...

eurasiantimes.com

$200M for a drone that can be shot down by a semi competent adversary is not worth it. Might as well use a U2 at that point.

 

[Oldman1]

Hence why it’s being replaced

Global Hawk Drones: Lockheed, Northrop In 'Big Race' To Replace US Air Force’s Ageing, Obsolete UAVs?

There are speculations that US defense giants Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman could be in the race to offer a successor to US Air Force’s (USAF) Global Hawk drones. E-4B Nightwatch – US’ Doomsday Aircraft Lands On A Secret Military Base Near Area 51 With A ‘VVIP’ On Board The USAF is...

eurasiantimes.com

$200M for a drone that can be shot down by a semi competent adversary is not worth it. Might as well use a U2 at that point.

Couldn't they have just paint the wings?

 

[TheImmortal]

Couldn't they have just paint the wings?

If you read the article the Air Force wants a recon plane with better survivability in contested airspace. The future of war isn’t against sandal wearing terrorists it’s likely against nation states.

I told you Global Hawk is good for patrol, surveillance, and in airspace where US has full dominance. Any benefit of its RAM is outweighed when going up against Iran, China, or Russia that have SAMs and radars that can reach that altitude.

After Iran shot it down foreign buyers like PGCC countries got cold feet. There was only a handful in the US fleet to begin with.

Too expensive of a solution. Back to the drawing board it seems.

 

[Oldman1]

If you read the article the Air Force wants a recon plane with better survivability in contested airspace. The future of war isn’t against sandal wearing terrorists it’s likely against nation states.

I told you Global Hawk is good for patrol, surveillance, and in airspace where US has full dominance. Any benefit of its RAM is outweighed when going up against Iran, China, or Russia that have SAMs and radars that can reach that altitude.

After Iran shot it down foreign buyers like PGCC countries got cold feet. There was only a handful in the US fleet to begin with.

Too expensive of a solution. Back to the drawing board it seems.

Guess it wasn't stealthy enough.

 

[thesaint]

Guess it wasn't stealthy enough.

I guess RQ170 wasn't stealthy either...........

 

[mohsen]

I guess RQ170 wasn't stealthy either...........

And US was sending a so called not-stealthy U2 deep into soviet territories!

 

[Oldman1]

I guess RQ170 wasn't stealthy either...........

Yeah and yet the Iranians are using it for stealthy missions.

And US was sending a so called not-stealthy U2 deep into soviet territories!

LOL! That was before the need for stealth when SAMS didn't reach that high yet.

 

[mohsen]

LOL! That was before the need for stealth when SAMS didn't reach that high yet.

1.If spotted in radars, Soviets could use interceptor aircrafts, so that's one big BS claim
2.Their air defense shot it down to make it an extra BS