Ask anything Thread (Air Force)

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ChineseToTheBone

New Member
Registered Member
I have read years ago that Pakistan chose to implement air cooled radar instead of liquid cooled radar on the JF-17 due to price over getting better performance, which is logically the only benefit known to general public. I assume that lower performance air cooled radars would not just run less capably than liquid cooled radars, but also not run for longer periods of time versus radars with better cooling.

Is this assumption of mine correct that fighter jets with air cooled radars are unable to keep it active for multiple hours continuously or for the duration of a typical fighter jet sortie? Though with good data linking this might never become a problem given how fighter jets could set their radar in passive mode and rely more heavily on information from their AWACS.

Then again even the supposedly upcoming F-35 with its TR-3 Block 4 electronics upgrades are having overheating problems with its new liquid cooled radar so the problem is certainly not just with air cooled radars entirely.
 
siegecrossbow

siegecrossbow

Field Marshall
Staff member
Super Moderator
ChineseToTheBone said:
I have read years ago that Pakistan chose to implement air cooled radar instead of liquid cooled radar on the JF-17 due to price over getting better performance, which is logically the only benefit known to general public. I assume that lower performance air cooled radars would not just run less capably than liquid cooled radars, but also not run for longer periods of time versus radars with better cooling.

Is this assumption of mine correct that fighter jets with air cooled radars are unable to keep it active for multiple hours continuously or for the duration of a typical fighter jet sortie? Though with good data linking this might never become a problem given how fighter jets could set their radar in passive mode and rely more heavily on information from their AWACS.

Then again even the supposedly upcoming F-35 with its TR-3 Block 4 electronics upgrades are having overheating problems with its new liquid cooled radar so the problem is certainly not just with air cooled radars entirely.
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Not even liquid cooled radars can be kept going for hours on end. In fact not even Destroyers can have all their radars on simultaneously for a very long time.
 
phrozenflame

phrozenflame

Junior Member
Registered Member
Whatever happened to aircraft based VLS to provide counter air defense vs incoming missiles?

It would be an interesting addition to a CCA, providing security to its squadron.
 
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dripblackcoffee

Just Hatched
Registered Member
Is there any news for how the plaaf has performed in the past? also i cant find any info on wether the plaaf uses simulators and how much they use them, is there anywhere i can find information on this?
 
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Michaelsinodef

Senior Member
Registered Member
dripblackcoffee said:
Is there any news for how the plaaf has performed in the past? also i cant find any info on wether the plaaf uses simulators and how much they use them, is there anywhere i can find information on this?
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They use simulators (quite a lot, but actual flying hours is also around 200 a year)

Use the search, and spend time to look more into it yourself.
 
lcloo

lcloo

Major
dripblackcoffee said:
Is there any news for how the plaaf has performed in the past? also i cant find any info on wether the plaaf uses simulators and how much they use them, is there anywhere i can find information on this?
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If you are refering to recent past, then it would be mostly interception of foreign aircraft at China's air borders in East China sea and South China sea.

If your want to know the really old past, i.e. post Korean war era, PLAAF's real combat engagement would be mostly vs ROC (Republic of China) airforce jets during 1950s to 1970s, as well as shooting down of unmanned US high altitude spy drones, and manned spy planes in 1950s to 1970s, they also shot down quite a few US fighter jets that breached China's air space during Vietnam war, including F-104C, F-4B, F-4C, A-6, mainly shot down by PLAAF J6 fighter jets.

You won't see such news in English language media. Here is an example, Philip Eldon Smith was shot down inside China when his F-104C #56-883 was intercepted by J6, he was captured and released years letter after Nixon established diplomatic relationship with PRC.

Robert James Flynn was shot down inside China air space in his A-6 on 21st August 1967, he was captured and released together with Philip Eldon Smith.

F-4B and F-4C were shot down by J6 in Chinese air space over South China sea near Hainan island during Vietnam war, probably no survivors.

There are more in the list but I don't want to drag on. PLAAF claimed there was no lost in all their intercepts of American jets.

All these info are only available in Chinese language, including 解放军报，the PLA News.
 
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