Invulnerable drone
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Invulnerable drone
Stuck at a desk this morning and my mind is wandering through idle musings whilst reading the various stealthy aircraft threads.
I was wondering whether it would be possible to build a drone with the sole purpose of soaking up air launched missiles to clear the way for an attacking force behind it.
It has to fly at a representative speed have a representative RCS and do nothing else but keep flying whilst being repeatedly hit by small warheads allowing the real aircraft to get close to the stealthy ones.
Could it be done?
I was wondering whether it would be possible to build a drone with the sole purpose of soaking up air launched missiles to clear the way for an attacking force behind it.
It has to fly at a representative speed have a representative RCS and do nothing else but keep flying whilst being repeatedly hit by small warheads allowing the real aircraft to get close to the stealthy ones.
Could it be done?
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I was thinking that something Tornado sized that didn't have to carry bombload, a pilot, undercarriage, fuel to get home, DAS, etc etc could be made a lot like a main battle tank and still fly. Modern air-to-air warheads are not exactly optimized for armour plate.
Joined: Nov 2011
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From: Southern Europe
I've designed one for you, Tousist. Here it is out on a decoy mission 
Link rather than picture because it's a bit big...
Click here
Link rather than picture because it's a bit big...
Click here
Joined: Oct 2003
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From: Somewhere
My claim to fame is shooting down a Jindy on MPC in a 92 Sqn F4, XV422. KC and I were tasked with a Fox 1 lag profile. Yoda presciently said that the MPC staff engineered profile would result in the mx ignoring everything but the Jindy, which it did. The mx went straight up the Jindy's jetpipe, causing much anglo-saxon and Gz as we pulled away from the debris. The groundcrew lads painted a Jindy on the intake ramp, next to the Jag (yes, that was XV422 too!)
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From: The Great Midwest
The ADM-141A/B TALD was an American decoy missile originally built by Brunswick Corporation for the USAF and the Israeli Air Force. Later it transitioned to joint US/Israeli manufacture with Israeli Military Industries Advanced Systems Division (IMI-ASD).
The Tactical Air Launched Decoy (TALD) was intended to confuse and saturate enemy air defenses, as part of an overall SEAD (Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses) strategy thus allowing attacking aircraft and weapons a higher probability of penetrating to the target. The Improved TALD is a turbojet-powered version.
The TALD was used with great success in the opening stages of Operation Desert Storm in 1991; more than 100 were launched on the opening night of the war. This prompted the Iraqi air defense to activate many of its radars - most of which were then destroyed by anti-radiation missiles.
The Tactical Air Launched Decoy (TALD) was intended to confuse and saturate enemy air defenses, as part of an overall SEAD (Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses) strategy thus allowing attacking aircraft and weapons a higher probability of penetrating to the target. The Improved TALD is a turbojet-powered version.
The TALD was used with great success in the opening stages of Operation Desert Storm in 1991; more than 100 were launched on the opening night of the war. This prompted the Iraqi air defense to activate many of its radars - most of which were then destroyed by anti-radiation missiles.
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From: Southern Europe
If you want to make a flying object appear to be an aircraft, you pretty much need to build an aircraft. It's not just speed, altitude and RCS. You've got to be able fool NCTR and passive sensors. But that sort of thing may not be bulletproof. Or missile proof.
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From: bristol
Didn't the USAF have a force of controlled aircraft to go ahead of the B52s and get shot out of the sky leaving less missiles to hit the B52s in the event of a Third World War?
From memory the sacrificial aircraft had round targets painted on them and were known as the V force.
From memory the sacrificial aircraft had round targets painted on them and were known as the V force.
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Courtney
Yes, well that is essentially the question I'm asking. Could one build an aircraft that was required to carry no load, that would be impervious to the standard modern warheads?
I'm well aware of sacrificial decoys, they are a different answer to the problem.
It can be launched by rocket if need be. It can use all the spare weight saved by removing the normal requirements of an aircraft as bulletproof plating.
Take a Tornado. Imagine all that weight carrying capacity was used up as armour. Could it be done?
Yes, well that is essentially the question I'm asking. Could one build an aircraft that was required to carry no load, that would be impervious to the standard modern warheads?
I'm well aware of sacrificial decoys, they are a different answer to the problem.
It can be launched by rocket if need be. It can use all the spare weight saved by removing the normal requirements of an aircraft as bulletproof plating.
Take a Tornado. Imagine all that weight carrying capacity was used up as armour. Could it be done?