PLAAF Munitions

Re: PLAAF precision guided munitions

this is kind of interesting, AWST already posted an article on the CFTE video. Kind of have a different assessment than Huitong on the seeker, although I think they do use some of Huitong's assessment. I do question though where Huitong concluded that the seekers are what he said they are.

Re: PLAAF precision guided munitions

I would go with Hui Tong's assertion. An active radar guided air to surface missile, generally an antiship missile, would not require a pod like the clip of the JH-7A does with the blue headed KD-88.

This pod already appeared in mockup form with the JH-7A officially mockup, displaying YJ-91s under its wing. It lacks windows on the bottom which means its not a FLIR/LT pod. The shape of the head clearly indicates a radome.

When I saw it, it immedietely reminds me of TAS and HTS pods that contain rangefinding radar receivers used for HARM targeting information.

Re: PLAAF precision guided munitions

long loiter time ARM (slower) and fast ARM may be complementary --
long loiter time ARM force enemy radar to remain done for the duration of air strike. However, once radar lit up, you need to destroy it as fast as possible.

Re: PLAAF precision guided munitions

Low speed of cruise missile style AshM design is an anomaly to traditional ARM belief that the missile must be as fast as possible, in order to catch the radar station before it shuts down. And even if it shuts down, missile speed will help guarantee hit of the target before the target leaves the site.

So we can logically speculate, that the ARM KD-88 may still have an active radar seeker to back up that passive ARM function. If the target radar shuts down, the missile will turn from passive to active, enabling it to continue the hunt even though its not fast enough. Not that this is hard to do since the missile itself is a converted AshM with an active radar seeker. Further development of the AGM-88 HARM also points to the direction of adding an active radar seeking functionality to continue to hunt down shut down radars. However that was something intended to be imiplemented in the future, and if indeed it is true tha the KD-88 has an active radar seeker. then the KD-88 just got ahead of everyone else.

Re: PLAAF precision guided munitions

crobato said:

I would go with Hui Tong's assertion. An active radar guided air to surface missile, generally an antiship missile, would not require a pod like the clip of the JH-7A does with the blue headed KD-88.

This pod already appeared in mockup form with the JH-7A officially mockup, displaying YJ-91s under its wing. It lacks windows on the bottom which means its not a FLIR/LT pod. The shape of the head clearly indicates a radome.

When I saw it, it immedietely reminds me of TAS and HTS pods that contain rangefinding radar receivers used for HARM targeting information.

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Let me add something to that.

The Kh-59ME, a TV optically guided missile, has an associative pod that acts like an extended datalink for communicating with the missile.

If the clip of the JH-7A happens to be holding the KD-88 with the optical window on the nose, and still carry that pod, then it's healthy to assume that the pod is an extended datalink similar to the system used by the Kh-59ME.

However, the KD-88 being carried is the one without the window.

Re: PLAAF precision guided munitions

crobato said:

Let me add something to that.

The Kh-59ME, a TV optically guided missile, has an associative pod that acts like an extended datalink for communicating with the missile.

If the clip of the JH-7A happens to be holding the KD-88 with the optical window on the nose, and still carry that pod, then it's healthy to assume that the pod is an extended datalink similar to the system used by the Kh-59ME.

However, the KD-88 being carried is the one without the window.

Click to expand...

hey Chris, any idea why this picture of KH-59ME has the "window/eye"

And this one is blocked?

Re: PLAAF precision guided munitions

crobato said:

Low speed of cruise missile style AshM design is an anomaly to traditional ARM belief that the missile must be as fast as possible, in order to catch the radar station before it shuts down. And even if it shuts down, missile speed will help guarantee hit of the target before the target leaves the site.

Click to expand...

I disagree -- it's a matter of suppression vs. destruction, and sometime suppression is more effective.

Let say you have several radars and one ARM loiter above. The radars are effectively suppressed unless they risk destruction. This versus one dead radar with fast ARM.

Re: PLAAF precision guided munitions

nemo said:

I disagree -- it's a matter of suppression vs. destruction, and sometime suppression is more effective.

Let say you have several radars and one ARM loiter above. The radars are effectively suppressed unless they risk destruction. This versus one dead radar with fast ARM.

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Yeah well you still risk getting killed by non radar guided SAMs. For example Croatale has backup electrooptical guidance systems. Also loitering aircraft over hostile territory is interceptor bait.

Re: PLAAF precision guided munitions

tphuang said:

hey Chris, any idea why this picture of KH-59ME has the "window/eye"

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And this one is blocked?

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The red stuff is just the cover for the seeker. Nothing more.

Look at the pylon under the engine intake. That's the pod that carries an extended datalink to support the Kh-59ME.

Re: PLAAF precision guided munitions

It wouldn't be airplanes which would loiter over enemy teritorry but anti radar missiles. I agree that supression of several radars can be more effective than destruction of just one. After all, loitering ARMs arent that new, ALARM has that parachute which it uses to 'loiter', in a sense, waiting for some radar to get turned back on. A 'slow' ARM, providing it has fuel for a 20 min loitering flight over enemy teritorry, is definitely an interesting idea. That is basically what you need for an attack - a small, short window in time.