PAF Strategy for using AWACS

[HariSeldon]

What I understand about PAF doctrine, its primarily defensive approach (Making sure Pak's sky belongs to PAF only). Which means once hostilities breakout, PAF will be fighting most of the time on the home turf , which will give it adv. In this scenario, what strategy will be PAF using for deployment of AWACS? Will AWACS not be redundant as PAF's ground based assets will provide much better tracking of targets?

regards,

 

[DESERT FIGHTER]

Offensive defence is our doctorine...be it army ,navy or air force

 

[Tiger Awan]

They will be quite economical and will replace the defensive CAP ( combat air patrols ) done by fighter aircrafts so that PAF will use those ACs for training purpose and like that. They will also add to situational awareness of our pilots. they are the need of every air force now.

 

[Tiger Awan]

Which means once hostilities breakout, PAF will be fighting most of the time on the home turf , which will give it adv.

regards,

but not above civilians!!!!!!

so we need to track enemy ACs well before they reach border and engage them above border.

 

[S.U.R.B.]

Offensive defence is our doctorine...be it army ,navy or air force

I agree; offense is the best defense.You fight your war over enemy lines.

 

[HariSeldon]

but not above civilians!!!!!!

so we need to track enemy ACs well before they reach border and engage them above border.

Though this is what AWACS are supposed to do. I think PAF's AWACS can look beyond 300KM. Even if its flying 150KM from border it can keep eye on most of the India forward bases. But once the hostilities breakout...will not AWACS be venerable given that BVR capability of InAF.

They will also add to <B>situational awareness</B> of our pilots. they are the need of every air force now.

Do we need to have AWACS for situational awareness? Cann't this done using the ground based assets?

 

[DESERT FIGHTER]

Though this is what AWACS are supposed to do. I think PAF's AWACS can look beyond 300KM. Even if its flying 150KM from border it can keep eye on most of the India forward bases. But once the hostilities breakout...will not AWACS be venerable given that BVR capability of InAF.


Do we need to have AWACS for situational awareness? Cann't this done using the ground based assets?

AWACs have there own security jamming systems that are used to counter incoming missiles.And india will have the same BVR threat from Pakistan....PAF also operates BVR.
Drones are used for survalience not to check bogey or enemy jet advances.

 

[Jabar 1]

Sorry for going off topic but its necessary for you to understand.

Air enthusiast and Air strategists maintain that air power is intrinsically offensive in nature and its primary mission should be the destruction of the enemy through aerial bombardment. Air power in the defensive role is acknowledged only to the extent that it is necessary to blunt the enemy&#8217;s air assaults before launching ones own. Logically then, strike missions should occupy the highest priority. Yet in reality this is not true. Air combat missions involving duels between opposing aircraft attempting to shoot each other down in an effort to win control of the air has traditionally occupied the top slot in the various roles that air power is expected to perform. To perform any of the assigned roles of air power, winning control of the air is an essential pre-requisite. While enemy air power can be blunted in many different ways, dedicated air superiority fighters remains the most effective defence against enemy air assaults. When air power of a nation is to operate against an adversary that also possesses air power assets, the first priority of air missions has to be neutralization, or at the least, sufficient degradation of the opponent&#8217;s air power capability.
An offensive counter-air operation that focuses attacks on air infrastructure including aircraft inventory becomes imperative. The other side will attempt to counter it though their air defence network in which air superiority fighters form a key element. Air combat then is inevitable and it plays a vital role in determining if the offensive side has managed to establish control of the air or the defenders have successfully denied it to the aggressors. For both the contestants air combat becomes a central cohesive source of support and stability.

 

[Super Falcon]

i think paf have major advantage when ever indian fighter jets fly from their bases at which seond they takeoff from indian airbase they can see it and than they have more time to send their fighetr jets well prepared and with this awacs they also know that what indian fighter jets weapon carries if indian fighter jets sent for ground targeting mission in pakistan paf will send JF 17 or mirage fighter jet to fight them and if indian fighter jet carry air to air missile pakistan will send its ace F 16 and J 10 and our awacs also send info to ground based radars and air to surface missile batteries to be prepared and that extra minute will give them edge over indian fighter jets they will plan better and fight better i think

 

[DMLA]

and with this awacs they also know that what indian fighter jets weapon carries

How is this supposed to work? Would you be kind enough to elaborate? I agree that it can detect the type of aircraft but weapons on board!?!?

 

[mean_bird]

How is this supposed to work? Would you be kind enough to elaborate? I agree that it can detect the type of aircraft but weapons on board!?!?

you can detect (approximates) the type of aircraft, speed, direction, etc using a radar. Once that has been determined, it is possible to filter out standard information and estimate the amount and type of weapons being carried by the plane.

Weapons themselves are big time reflectors, and that is why Stealth fighters carry them on internal bays.

I am not exactly sure how much this tech is applied and with what success, but in theory it is possible. At the very least, you can detect what kind of mission it is carrying out.

 

[notorious_eagle]

you can detect (approximates) the type of aircraft, speed, direction, etc using a radar. Once that has been determined, it is possible to filter out standard information and estimate the amount and type of weapons being carried by the plane.

Weapons themselves are big time reflectors, and that is why Stealth fighters carry them on internal bays.

I am not exactly sure how much this tech is applied and with what success, but in theory it is possible. At the very least, you can detect what kind of mission it is carrying out.

I think we need Sir Gambit's Professional Opinion on this topic

 

[DMLA]

AFAIK, the only way to detect weapon systems is to use ESM type systems to detect electronic transmissions. That happens only when you have a system emitting which is surely not the case with most flights (as it would be under friendly AWACS control) and thus knowing the exact type of weapons IMO is not possible with the radar signature alone.

Of course one can try and gauge the profile of the flight by looking at flight characteristics (altitude/ speed/ heading/ known platform use, etc) and use smart algorithms to predict mission profiles (use of GA/ FL based systems is not far fetched). This is a known and used entity.

 

[dbc]

Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar (ISAR) is a technique to generate a two-dimensional high resolution image of a target.
In situations where other radars display only a single unidentifiable bright moving pixel, the ISAR image is often adequate to discriminate between various missiles, military aircraft, and civilian aircraft.

Inverse synthetic aperture radar - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Remember the picture of the Indian MKI Kayani allegedly showed the Americans..

 

[DMLA]

ISAR has been able to resolve such small systems!!! AFAIK, they are limited in use to identifying aircrafts/ ships etc! Could you provide a source which states that ISAR can identify weapons fitted on aircrafts (at 200+ km)..... not a missile already in the air!