December 15, 2004 at 1:57 am
I was thinking of something. How about arming normal AJTs like L-159B, Yak-130, M-346, Hawk, and WHATEVER with BVRAAMs and let them be guided via offboard sensors.
Something like a Yak-130, fit it with it’s own Kopyo-F, and then arm it with something like a long range R-37M and R-77-PD where a Yak-130 should comfortably carry 2 each and a single fuel tank. Let it be guided by offboard sensors like AWACS/GCI like the Erieye platform or something. You can get a LOT of these. Obviously, there is no way a Yak-130 with its 70km Kopyo-F would ever be able to guide a R-37M some 300kms or even a R-77-PD some 160kms.
If you really need to give them better range, give them for tanking support.