Vanguard Magazine

22 OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2018 www.vanguardcanada.com going to offer an improvement. There's a big difference between having an idea that something is there compared to knowing it's there and being able to target and fire upon it. Between all of the aforementioned build techniques and the limitations of radar, the signal is so de- graded that unless an F-22 or F-35 pilot gets close enough, there's no way to get enough reliable data to lock one up and fire. Below is an image showing the de- tection ranges of the S-band Raytheon HR3000. This is also an older graphic as the F-35 has proven to be much smaller than the F-22 with regards to radar cross section (RCS). We haven't even gotten into Electronic Countermeasures (ECM), such as jam- ming, spoofing and decoys (digital and towed). These degrade radar even more and add several new layers of data and noise for systems to decipher and make intercept missions far less certain for op- posing pilots. The F-35, for example, has a jamming system built directly into its radar system. This is in addition to its long-range passive radars and sensors as well as its active sys- tems. It's capable of sending digital decoy signals that fool radars into thinking there are additional targets and it can give them varied coordinates to ensure that tracking the main target is much more difficult. It can also deceive operators into thinking there are far more aircraft present. Jam- ming is a powerful tool on its own and when coupled with advanced stealth and LO it only increases its effectiveness. This is what separates fifth-generation stealth fighters like the F-22 and F-35 from their fourth-generation counterparts. Whereas fourth generation fighters can be tracked with growing ease despite ECM and other tactics, modern stealth fighters have advantages that were exclu- sive to dedicated stealth platforms in the past while maintaining many of the ben- efits of the former generations. Radars are getting better at a much more rapid pace and as such, the threat to fourth generation platforms is grow- ing fast. Israel is a prime example. They're among the best in the world at all aspects of jamming and ECM in general and yet they recently suffered their first loss in over two decades. The proliferation of powerful ground-based radars and an in- creased focus on interconnected battle networks is going to cause an increase in these events as the age of relying on jam- ming and ECM to make up for a lack of stealth and LO characteristics is vanishing. Another area that is seeing an empha- sis on stealth and LO developed through programs like the F-117 and B-2 is that of aerial refueling. Lockheed Martin and their secretive "Skunk Works" division are currently hard at work on the KC-Z concept. The KC-Z is a hybrid wing-body design that is intended to allow the F-22 and F-35 to refuel and operate closer to combat zones for extended periods with- out detection by radar – something that will rapidly become more difficult for tra- ditional tankers to do. Engineers are tak- ing it even further and are currently wind tunnel testing their HWB airlifter, which is another hybrid wing-body aircraft de- signed to replace the C-5 and C-17. Stealth and LO characteristics are the future, while purchasing fourth gen- eration fighters with jamming and ECM pods is a solution that will lose all of its ef- fectiveness by 2025 or 2030. The answer to an increase in smarter and more pow- AerosPACe SU-35 Irbis E.

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