nrshah wrote:
Besides, with stealth aircraft becoming increasingly popular, how sure are we of BVR shots at a respectable range... take example of Raptor v/s Pak fa/FGFA... At what distance will they will detect each other... Perhaps less than 50 Kms... Say at 50 kms Raptor detects pak fa and vice versa... Both are cruising at at speed of say 800Kms... Defacto speed becomes 1600 km/hour for a head on shot... Thus in 2 minutes they will be having eye contact with each other... Now tell me where do you have time to go for BVR shots at a decent range... Not to mention getting a lock on stealth aircraft itself will take time even after detection...
Absolutely correct. I was setting up a strawman there and you have rightly demolished it. There is a persistent myth doing the rounds that a supercruising aircraft firing one BVR will take out opposition at 100 km or some such figure. So 6 BVRs ==6 enemy aircraft. I think it is high time someone started questioning the presumptions that discussions are based on. BRF is supposed to be an informed forum. The depths to which it has sometimes sunk were so preposterous that I was tempted to do some serious rabble rousing and questing of what is passed as "accepted knowledge"
Apart from that myth, there are several other myths doing the rounds - I will name a few.
One myth is that one needs to send 5th gen aircraft to face 5th gen. Sending 4th gen is fatal. How come nobody asks how you will know if an attacking enemy aircraft is 3rd, 4th 5th or 250th gen so you can send up and appropriate fighter?
Another common myth is that air battles will be one on one (and see above - victory will go to the higher generation aircraft)
A third is that jousting will take place in the air between AAM and gun armed fighters. What is forgotten is that many of the battles will be interceptors flying close to home bases trying to shoot down heavily laden attack aircraft who have used utmost stealth and deception to get in and will use whatever power they have to get out. And the scene may be complicated by escorts who may pounce on the defenders who are then left with the dilemma of either defending themselves while allowing the attack aircraft to press home their attack, or ignore the escorts and try and get the attacking aircraft.
The problem of friend killing friend is a serious one. How much would Indians love to have one Su 30 shoot another in a BVR engagement? In a battle zone of 100 km radius there may be a dozen aircraft visible on radar from 100 km. Whom do you shoot? And you may have only 2 minutes to make a decision because everyone is flying at 1000 kmph.
And there may be worse things in store for us. A swarm of cruise missiles and stealth fighters at night taking out all radar and missile sites. AWACS being taken down by a concerted, almost kamikaze attack of a swarm of enemy fighters.
Can we shoot down cruise missiles? Stealth aircraft? Do we need aircraft for all this? Do we need SAMs? Do we need radar redundancy? Decoys? Should the IAF do its own pre emptive with Prithvi/Brahmos All this has very little to do with 4 gen, 5 gen, supercruise or TV.
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