Airborne refuelling goes unmanned. 🙂

Another feature that is COIN specific is the ability to “hover”.

For example take Aurora’s Excalibur UCAV ….. it is a VTOL UCAV. Features include the ability to do a “silent hover”. The Excalibur also carries hellfire missiles. 🙂

A VTOL UCAV “silently hovering” behind a building/tree waiting for its target(s). Now can an ordinary COIN aircraft dream of doing such a thing??

Did you know that in the US being a UCAV pilot is now a full-time job. you are essentially considered a pilot and its a lucrative career option now. UCAV pilot candidates are screened with very high standards.

Also training a new pilot for COIN duties is expensive compared to a UCAV pilot.

Have you heard of the NGJ (Next Gen Jammer) and Lockheed’s plans to integrate it into the F35? 🙂

Apropos the EF-35, its not a question of “If”, its a question of “When”.

They already know. 🙂 The USAF will be the first to see changing military trends.

A-Darter uses BAe Systems guidance systems

In late September 2006 Denel Aerospace Systems selected BAE Systems’ SILMU02 solid-state inertial measurement unit for midcourse guidance of the A-Darter missile.

South Africa’s Denel Dynamics is responsible for the imaging-infrared seeker for its A-Darter. The seeker is derived from the IR-seeker of the 3rd-Gen U-Darter. A-Darter reportedly carries a 17 kg warhead (compared to 9.4 kg for the AIM-9L/M).

A-Darter Brochure from Denel Dynamics

SYSTEM FEATURES

• High agility to handle the closest of close combats
• A two-colour thermal imaging seeker with high sensitivity and a multi-mode ECCM suite
• A low-drag, wingless airframe, ensuring ranges beyond those of traditional short-range missiles
• Lock-on after launch and memory tracking capabilities
• A lightweight design compatible with traditional Sidewinder stations

The A-Darter may be designated to a target by using the aircraft’s radar, a helmet sight, or the missile’s autonomous scan feature if radar silence is required. The seeker’s large look-angles and the airframe’s agility make high off-boresight helmet designated firings possible. Longrange intercepts, beyond IR detection range, are possible, using the lock-on after launch mode.

First; Thanks for your input!

Now that I see the frontal pic, I also think it’s a Missile bay, but I have another question,:

What ‘s the use for the LO Missile Bay if you use a 360 degree radar so that any Fighter in a about 100 miles knows that you are there? Or are they used passively?

Thanks!

Well more details have to emerge about the PAKFA. Until then we dont know what kind of performance we are talking about.

All that can be extrapolated at such an early date is that sensor fusion exists on the PAKFA.