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V-22 Aew And Asw


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For AEW it might allow an altitude advantage.

 

For ASW, it would be time to get to distant targets. If a ship gets a distant contact, a 250 knot transit would be potentially much more effective than 150 or less.

Edited by DB
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Well Merlin can reach 15000 feet, which seems to be adequate for most circumstances. Ive always thought the Hawkeye was far too much aircraft for a carrier deck. The Skyraider and Gannet AEW's always struck me as far neater solutions, regardless of the undoubted capabilities of the Hawkeye.

 

I think its a case of Merlin or not at all sadly. We just arent going to buy any kind of V22 without a massive increase in budget.

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Well Merlin can reach 15000 feet, which seems to be adequate for most circumstances. Ive always thought the Hawkeye was far too much aircraft for a carrier deck. The Skyraider and Gannet AEW's always struck me as far neater solutions, regardless of the undoubted capabilities of the Hawkeye.

 

I think its a case of Merlin or not at all sadly. We just arent going to buy any kind of V22 without a massive increase in budget.

 

Because your decks were always too small. :P

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Well Merlin can reach 15000 feet, which seems to be adequate for most circumstances. Ive always thought the Hawkeye was far too much aircraft for a carrier deck. The Skyraider and Gannet AEW's always struck me as far neater solutions, regardless of the undoubted capabilities of the Hawkeye.

 

I think its a case of Merlin or not at all sadly. We just arent going to buy any kind of V22 without a massive increase in budget.

 

Because your decks were always too small. :P

 

 

Well there is that. But I saw not long ago a piece of footage of a Hawkeye landing on a carrier deck, and damn near going into the drink when the trap broke. Thats 5 guys near drawning because a wire broke. Crazy. There must be a lighter solution after all this time, even if its a drone.

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It would make sense I think. And with the F35 as network integrated as it is, then I have to question whether AEW is quite as important as it once was.

 

Even the Tomcat could share radar information with fellow aircraft. When people call it the poor mans Awacs, it really wasnt.

Edited by Stuart Galbraith
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even if its a drone.

​

 

That is the next step after the tanker drone me thinks.

 

 

Remember that, with humans on board, the Hawkeye can perform an autonomous control function. A drone would require carrier to keep a datalink on to do the controlling part, thus potentially giving away its position. The datalink could also be jammed or lost.

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Modern Tracker in two modes, a EW version and ASW version. Update the airframe the same way Viking is updating the De Havilland designs.

 

Grumman_S-2F3AT_Turbo_Tracker_%28G-121%2

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even if its a drone.

​

 

That is the next step after the tanker drone me thinks.

 

 

Remember that, with humans on board, the Hawkeye can perform an autonomous control function. A drone would require carrier to keep a datalink on to do the controlling part, thus potentially giving away its position. The datalink could also be jammed or lost.

 

It's easier to jam voice radio than data, and without communication Hawkeye cannot perform any control function. You have a point about the carrier giving away its position, but I'm not sure if it can avoid detection and still perform air operations... And the benefits of having more controllers than you can fit in a Hawkeye should be might be worth it anyway.

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The current version of the Hawkeye, the E-2D, no longer uses old analogue radios as its sole means of communications. It also has Link 11, 16, MIDS voice, Satcom voice etc.

Edited by Daan
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Well Merlin can reach 15000 feet, which seems to be adequate for most circumstances. Ive always thought the Hawkeye was far too much aircraft for a carrier deck. The Skyraider and Gannet AEW's always struck me as far neater solutions, regardless of the undoubted capabilities of the Hawkeye.

 

I think its a case of Merlin or not at all sadly. We just arent going to buy any kind of V22 without a massive increase in budget.

 

Because your decks were always too small. :P

 

 

Well there is that. But I saw not long ago a piece of footage of a Hawkeye landing on a carrier deck, and damn near going into the drink when the trap broke. Thats 5 guys near drawning because a wire broke. Crazy. There must be a lighter solution after all this time, even if its a drone.

 

 

So... by that logic, the Hawkeye is not a good AEW because it's "too much aircraft," almost went overboard because a wire broke, etc... Ok.

 

The RN is so screwed if they had that kind of thinking. Preferring to have aircraft that is only adequate. Good luck providing AEW coverage for power projection when the helo can't fly out too far, too fast, and is too light/small an aircraft to carry a bigger, more capable radar with crew and consoles to direct more aircraft in ops.

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Look, Im making a resolution not to get into pointless arguments with people I like. Ill just leave this here and allow you all to ask yourself the question how you would like to be an E2 radar operator. Ill leave it at that.

 

 

The RN deserves more credit than it gets. Its pioneered all the major innovations in carrier airpower barring nuclear power. So maybe we should cut them a bit of slack here is all im saying.

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The RN deserves more credit than it gets. Its pioneered all the major innovations in carrier airpower barring nuclear power. So maybe we should cut them a bit of slack here is all im saying.

 

Not really, AEW was "invented" by the Americans, open hangars too, deck layouts and parking, too, the angled deck and the lens system are just components of a wider system.

 

More to the point, why use a large V-22 when a smaller drone will suffice?

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Stuart, if accidents such as that were to be a controlling factor, might as well quit naval aviation because accidents can happen, and sell those QEs....

 

Chris raises good points on drones. That said, multiple drones serving something like radar picket destroyers. A fleet can fly a good deal away, all providing data to one or a couple of other drones serving as a node (?) that sends the data to the carrier or some other ship in the battlegroup.

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The RN deserves more credit than it gets. Its pioneered all the major innovations in carrier airpower barring nuclear power. So maybe we should cut them a bit of slack here is all im saying.

 

Not really, AEW was "invented" by the Americans, open hangars too, deck layouts and parking, too, the angled deck and the lens system are just components of a wider system.

 

More to the point, why use a large V-22 when a smaller drone will suffice?

 

 

Angled decks, traps, AND the 'ball'. And pioneered the operation of Jets off of aircraft carriers. And the Ski Jump which I notice your own Navy has adopted. These are not trivial achievements.

 

 

Stuart, if accidents such as that were to be a controlling factor, might as well quit naval aviation because accidents can happen, and sell those QEs....

 

Chris raises good points on drones. That said, multiple drones serving something like radar picket destroyers. A fleet can fly a good deal away, all providing data to one or a couple of other drones serving as a node (?) that sends the data to the carrier or some other ship in the battlegroup.

Carrier air is dangerous, quite right. So why make it more dangerous by handling heavy aircraft when AWAC's are going the way of the dodo anyway? Even on land based air there is discussion of removing E3's and using drones and more sensor based systems.

 

Is an AWAC's really needed, when with the F35 they are going to have datalink systems that can mean they designate targets for F18's? Perhaps not.

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The RN deserves more credit than it gets. Its pioneered all the major innovations in carrier airpower barring nuclear power. So maybe we should cut them a bit of slack here is all im saying.

 

Not really, AEW was "invented" by the Americans, open hangars too, deck layouts and parking, too, the angled deck and the lens system are just components of a wider system.

 

More to the point, why use a large V-22 when a smaller drone will suffice?

 

 

Angled decks, traps, AND the 'ball'. And pioneered the operation of Jets off of aircraft carriers. And the Ski Jump which I notice your own Navy has adopted. These are not trivial achievements.

 

 

They are not, but didn't happen in a vacuum, they were required due to the smaller size of RN carriers and the new jets, same as the steam catapult, and while not detracting from British ingenuity, eventually they would be invented. Ski jump is the same, needed if you fly Harriers mainly, the others copied it.

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And not forgetting the steam catapult. :) Oddly enough, the first landing on a ship at sea took place a few miles from the site of my home (which would not be built for another 20 years).

 

I wasnt sure where the yanks invented the steam catapult so I left it out, but fair enough. For better or for worse, we made damn every innovation in carrier air, the only exception was the nuclear reactor and that was largely because Rickover was a complete nutter. :)

Ive always had a soft spot for the sopwith pup. There was a Galbraith who was an ace in ww1 in the RCNAS, no relation though afaik.

 

 

To me, it makes no sense to have a twin engined turboprop with 5 people on board, when you could just as easily do this job via drone and a data-link. Or even, as the Iranians found, buddy data-link and a good fighter radar. Its perfectly true we REALLY needed a proper AEW in the Falklands, but that is, astonishingly, 37 years ago. We are nearly as far from the Falklands as the Falklands veterans were from WW2. Technology moves on.

 

There I promised I wouldnt argue so Ill shut up now.

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With antennae there is no substitute for size. Whether the platform is manned or not, it is going to be pretty hefty. Compare the size of Global Hawk with the U-2. You obviously gain in some ways, particularly endurance.

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With antennae there is no substitute for size. Whether the platform is manned or not, it is going to be pretty hefty. Compare the size of Global Hawk with the U-2. You obviously gain in some ways, particularly endurance.

 

Or you use more antennas. If you needs a really big one then you use a land based AWACs. but several smaller ones will give better coverage.

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With antennae there is no substitute for size. Whether the platform is manned or not, it is going to be pretty hefty. Compare the size of Global Hawk with the U-2. You obviously gain in some ways, particularly endurance.

 

Or you use more antennas. If you needs a really big one then you use a land based AWACs. but several smaller ones will give better coverage.

 

 

Yes, thats my thought also. And if the F35's capabilities are anything like claimed, that is pretty much what we are going to get. Doesnt strike me as impossible you could mount an antenna on the back of an X47 either.

 

Also, it should be remembered, on many occasions carriers will be operating in range of a land based AWAC's. Ok, perhaps something more of a challenge if you are going to the South Atlantic, or the mid pacific, but its not impossible.

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