crazy idea

guys, i just had a crazy idea, yet could find no flaws in it.

i was just thinking, since the IRST balls of a/c like the rafale claim to have a tracking range of around 50~60 km, how great a range would an IRST ball the size of a radardome have? 😀

a ‘super IRST’ equiped a/c could scan and lock onto enemy a/c without them knowing abt it, and AAMs fired at the enemy a/c would have a much greater chance of hitting the target as the enemy a/c is less likely to be engaging in evasive manovers. the AAMs would also be alot cheaper and less complicated to develop and manufacture (then active radar guided AAMs) – it would only need to be a shortrange AAM with a boost added to the back.

the missile is guided to the target via datalink, once within range, the IR seeker on the missile takes over, the launch a/c can go and do other things, the missile jetersons the boost and is as manuverable as a short range AAM.

another advantage for this system is that it should be able to give a/c with small radomes like the Mig21 and J/F7s a more effective BVR capacity then they currently have as their short ranged radars could not take full advantage of their missiles’ flight envilopes.

what do you guys think of this? anything i missed?