Originally Posted by sferrin
Post #6766 right up the page.
I mentioned neither HOBS nor LOAL, I implied target obscuration.
Here are the issues (and welcome any updates as to where the Programme is going with these). I am deliberately talking about a generic, advanced IR mx, NOT a specific model, for obvious reasons, and taking LO's points a little further.
HOBS is, as I have said many times before, nothing new. It's simply a matter of cuing the missile seeker to a position defined by a sensor - not just the electric hat, but radar, IRST, etc. The target does need to be within the seeker gimbal limits, not obscured by fuselage or wing and needs to be able to be kept in the mx fov during fly-out. However, it is also important to know what the seeker is tracking, most importantly the bad guy in your nine o'clock or your wingman just beyond him, for example - the electric hat is very good at that.
LOAL is altogether different. This popped into the public's imagination when folk started talking about the "over-the-shoulder" shot, which is such a complex subject it would probably need a thread all of its own. Anyway, you can tell the mx where to look for its intended target and you can tell it what the target is doing at launch. You can't tell the mx what the target does after launch, you can't tell the mx what else might be in the (expanding) uncertainty box and you can't easily determine what the mx has targeted when and if it finds something to go after. Some of these issues COULD be overcome by command datalink, but that now stops your generic, advanced IR missile being fire and forget and adds a load of complexities to your office, not to mention additional emissions from your stealth bomber.
Would I like my wingman shooting a LOAL mx into my furball? Erm, not really, thank you.
A couple of thoughts on such a mx in a generic stealth bomber's internal weapons bay. First, as we're discussing, it can't see out. Second, we're trying to launch a forward-firing weapon from an ejector; no reason that shouldn't be made to work, but something's going to need a very significant modification and a sod of a lot of clearance work - especially if your generic advanced IR mx doesn't have any wings. I think the trapeze plan has been dropped?
EDIT: just seen that you made the same point whilst I was typing, Nitro.
