February 14th, 2016, 08:38 AM
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Shrapnel Fanatic
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Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: GWN
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Re: Jets & Planes but no UAV's here.
Quote:
The British military just keeps dwindling.
IHS Jane’s reports that the Royal Air Force has retired its only dedicated anti-radiation missile used to destroy enemy radars.
The news might seem relatively minor. But the ability to suppress and destroy enemy radars is crucial, particularly with Russia and China developing increasingly advanced air defense systems.
During the opening hours of a conflict—such as the 2011 air war over Libya—one of the first priorities for a modern air force is to make it as hard as possible for the enemy to see, track and shoot down your planes.
For the RAF, the ALARM missile was the weapon of choice. Capable of being fired from a Tornado attack jet 58 miles away from a target, the missile traveled up to 1,525 miles per hour, using its sensors to home in on faint—but perceptible—radar signatures.
The ALARM had some other tricks. If an enemy radar powered down to avoid being targeted, the missile could fly up to an altitude of 40,000 feet and deploy a parachute. The munition would then slowly descend, and if the enemy radar powered back up, it would release its parachute, re-acquire the target and … boom.
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the rest HERE
retired at the end of 2013 and the next set of OOB's will reflect that
Last edited by DRG; February 14th, 2016 at 08:54 AM..
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