RAF Reaper Drones to be controlled from the UK
PN said "What will the RPAV sqns do post-AFG assuming there is a severe outbreak of peace in the world? "
IMHO, they'll either be chasing joyriders around the M25 or patrolling the dark wastes of UK forestry, moorland and mountain areas practising looking for anyone dressed in green, and calling-in yellow AW139s for those in peril.
IMHO, they'll either be chasing joyriders around the M25 or patrolling the dark wastes of UK forestry, moorland and mountain areas practising looking for anyone dressed in green, and calling-in yellow AW139s for those in peril.
Last edited by Rigga; 16th May 2011 at 20:22. Reason: splleing
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Hey Guys,
Nobody seems to note, that if 'Detected', these 'Drones' would be pretty easy meat for even the oldest of fighters?
I Guess it's where you choose to play?
Anybody think of that?
Advo
Nobody seems to note, that if 'Detected', these 'Drones' would be pretty easy meat for even the oldest of fighters?
I Guess it's where you choose to play?
Anybody think of that?
Advo
AD
Nobody is advocating replacing Tornado or Typhoon with Reaper, they should be a part of a force mix. If you want persistant eyes-on and the ability to strike a target then Reaper is the weapon of choice - fast jets will give you about 1hr in most target areas before heading back to the Texaco. However, if you're in airspace without air superiority then a fast jet may be your choice over Reaper. If you are trying to support many tasks or friendlies over a wide area then again fast jets may be your weapon of choice because of their speed. If you want to support an op like we saw in Sierra Leone then Reaper might be your weapon of choice.
The US lost an armed Predator trying to exchange shots with an Iraqi MiG in the closing days of Southern Watch - the Hellfire is quite a slow missile so the MiG timed out first (there's footage of this on YouTube). This was the early days of Predator, and if fitted with a decent missile like ASRAAM, then something like Reaper would be in a good position to protect itself. The Reaper has Link 16 so can get a 3rd party Recognised Air Picture from AWACS or a ground radar to help cue from 'big to small'.
The shoot down of a Georgian Hermes 450 by a Russian MiG29 shows why we should use aircrew rather than operators to fly RPAS. The operators watched the MiG position itself and then tracked the missile all the way to impact on itself - no manoeuvre, no attempt to throttle back to cool the IR signature (it looks like an Archer AAM shot) and no attempt to find a cloud to go hide in. The first rule of air combat for any aviator is 'never, ever, give up'; these Georgian operators were obviously not aviators! You can also find this footage on YouTube.
Finally, the USAF are operating Predators over Libya with enemy mobile SAMs lurking about. However, what do you think a Libyan SAM operator's priority is going to be? A slow speed small $4M Predator or one of those fast and pointy $40-80M Typhoon/Rafale/F15/F16/etc...? What would have bigger media impact? A pile of bits of plastic or a downed Coalition Aviator?
These are the things to consider and have been by those that have made the decision to use RPAS as part of the UKs force mix - a decision that I believe they have got right.
LJ
Nobody is advocating replacing Tornado or Typhoon with Reaper, they should be a part of a force mix. If you want persistant eyes-on and the ability to strike a target then Reaper is the weapon of choice - fast jets will give you about 1hr in most target areas before heading back to the Texaco. However, if you're in airspace without air superiority then a fast jet may be your choice over Reaper. If you are trying to support many tasks or friendlies over a wide area then again fast jets may be your weapon of choice because of their speed. If you want to support an op like we saw in Sierra Leone then Reaper might be your weapon of choice.
The US lost an armed Predator trying to exchange shots with an Iraqi MiG in the closing days of Southern Watch - the Hellfire is quite a slow missile so the MiG timed out first (there's footage of this on YouTube). This was the early days of Predator, and if fitted with a decent missile like ASRAAM, then something like Reaper would be in a good position to protect itself. The Reaper has Link 16 so can get a 3rd party Recognised Air Picture from AWACS or a ground radar to help cue from 'big to small'.
The shoot down of a Georgian Hermes 450 by a Russian MiG29 shows why we should use aircrew rather than operators to fly RPAS. The operators watched the MiG position itself and then tracked the missile all the way to impact on itself - no manoeuvre, no attempt to throttle back to cool the IR signature (it looks like an Archer AAM shot) and no attempt to find a cloud to go hide in. The first rule of air combat for any aviator is 'never, ever, give up'; these Georgian operators were obviously not aviators! You can also find this footage on YouTube.
Finally, the USAF are operating Predators over Libya with enemy mobile SAMs lurking about. However, what do you think a Libyan SAM operator's priority is going to be? A slow speed small $4M Predator or one of those fast and pointy $40-80M Typhoon/Rafale/F15/F16/etc...? What would have bigger media impact? A pile of bits of plastic or a downed Coalition Aviator?
These are the things to consider and have been by those that have made the decision to use RPAS as part of the UKs force mix - a decision that I believe they have got right.
LJ
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