USAF explores cloaking device for tankers

Daryl Hunt

Your Worst Nightmare
Oct 22, 2014
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O.D. (Stands for Out Dere
This only works for radar and IR.

USAF explores cloaking device for tankers

USAF explores cloaking device for tankers

The US Air Force will next month unveil the results of a study into survivability gaps on its fleet of tankers and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft, the service’s head of Air Mobility Command (AMC) says.

The recently completed high-value airborne asset research activity identified survivability gaps on existing tankers, plus Boeing E-3 airborne warning and control system and Northrop Grumman E-8C joint surveillance target attack radar system aircraft.

AMC chief Gen Carlton Everhart has previously discussed a "cloaking" capability for the USAF’s next-generation KC-Z tanker, which would allow the aircraft to fend off adversaries by manipulating its radar signature. This process would involve taking radiant energy from a radar and diffusing it to disguise a tanker or airlifter's outline, he says.

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Speaking at the Air Force Association's annual convention, Everhart says: “It’s not as simple as I think it is. If you get one electron out, you just identified yourself to the adversary.”

Everhart has not commented on whether the USAF will release a request for information linked to the so-called cloaking capability, but confirms that he discussed the concept with industry on the floor of the Air, Space and Cyber conference.

Meanwhile, the commander of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Centre reveals that the Air Combat Command is discussing fielding a defensive laser weapon on an air mobility aircraft, rather than a downward-looking weapon. The laser and cloaking defences are not at odds with each other, and air mobility will take whichever technology can be fielded first, Everhart says.
 
Tankers arent meant to fly into harms way......Price ya pay for short legged fighters....
 
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Tankers arent meant to fly into harms way......Price ya pay for short legged fighters....

Starting next year, the Tankers will have what is being called cloaking where it either scatters the radar or it mimics something else like a Civilian Aircraft or one of the enemy's birds. You just can't get a break can you. You say something and then find out that they are working on a system that gets around what you claim. This is also another spinoff from the F-35 program. "Hey, who wants to be a flock of Geese. I was last time"


All that money earmarked for the F-35 budget is also going into the Tankers, Cargo Planes, F-22, F-15 and F-16. The F-22 now has the ability to hit a radar site with a burst that either flash blinds them or burns out boxes just like the F-35 has. And I suspect that ability will be adapted to the F-15E, Buff, B-1 and B-2 along with the EC and RC birds within 5 years. The enemy is safe as long as he is scanning. But a lock requires a much higher radar signature. When you go to get a lock you get hit with a signal that takes out your radar. This includes both ground and air. It's extremely narrow more like a beam and directed at the enemy that has the power to do a lockon. It takes less time for the beam to be sent than the lock itself. The F-35 and the F-22s pilot gives the system the parameters and it's done automatically. No conscious thinking on the human side. Meanwhile, the other guy has to make a decision whether to fire or not. Microseconds versus 1/4 of seconds wins. This is not done by the aircraft, it's done by the strange AESA radar that the F-22, F-35 and some of the F-15Es use.

You need to read up on the AN/ASQ-239. What it can do is known in the F-35 community but how it does it is closely guarded. No, the AN/ASQ-239 was omitted on the Israeli F-35I. That is one secret that we will NOT export. You have to roll your own or buy it from the Israelis.
 
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Here is a bit of info on the Russian newest fighters. While the F-22 and F-35 has it built in under the skin, the SU-57 (T-50) and the SU-35 has it added on in a module. This is why they are rated at .5 while the F-15E with only air to air missiles is rated at .25 and the F-22 is rated at .000003. The F-35 is slightly higher than the F-22. Even the SU-57 lights up like a beacon from the sides and rear. With the new AESA radar being installed on the F-15Es, that means the F-15E gets first look, first shot on everything except the F-22 and F-35. This is why it's going to be a missile truck in the end. It just became relevant again.
 
Tankers arent meant to fly into harms way......Price ya pay for short legged fighters....

Starting next year, the Tankers will have what is being called cloaking where it either scatters the radar or it mimics something else like a Civilian Aircraft or one of the enemy's birds. You just can't get a break can you. You say something and then find out that they are working on a system that gets around what you claim. This is also another spinoff from the F-35 program. "Hey, who wants to be a flock of Geese. I was last time"


All that money earmarked for the F-35 budget is also going into the Tankers, Cargo Planes, F-22, F-15 and F-16. The F-22 now has the ability to hit a radar site with a burst that either flash blinds them or burns out boxes just like the F-35 has. And I suspect that ability will be adapted to the F-15E, Buff, B-1 and B-2 along with the EC and RC birds within 5 years. The enemy is safe as long as he is scanning. But a lock requires a much higher radar signature. When you go to get a lock you get hit with a signal that takes out your radar. This includes both ground and air. It's extremely narrow more like a beam and directed at the enemy that has the power to do a lockon. It takes less time for the beam to be sent than the lock itself. The F-35 and the F-22s pilot gives the system the parameters and it's done automatically. No conscious thinking on the human side. Meanwhile, the other guy has to make a decision whether to fire or not. Microseconds versus 1/4 of seconds wins. This is not done by the aircraft, it's done by the strange AESA radar that the F-22, F-35 and some of the F-15Es use.

You need to read up on the AN/ASQ-239. What it can do is known in the F-35 community but how it does it is closely guarded. No, the AN/ASQ-239 was omitted on the Israeli F-35I. That is one secret that we will NOT export. You have to roll your own or buy it from the Israelis.
In
Never claimed they weren't working on it ...if you think you tanker will disapear from radar and sail right thru enemy defenses you are a fool
 
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Tankers arent meant to fly into harms way......Price ya pay for short legged fighters....

Starting next year, the Tankers will have what is being called cloaking where it either scatters the radar or it mimics something else like a Civilian Aircraft or one of the enemy's birds. You just can't get a break can you. You say something and then find out that they are working on a system that gets around what you claim. This is also another spinoff from the F-35 program. "Hey, who wants to be a flock of Geese. I was last time"


All that money earmarked for the F-35 budget is also going into the Tankers, Cargo Planes, F-22, F-15 and F-16. The F-22 now has the ability to hit a radar site with a burst that either flash blinds them or burns out boxes just like the F-35 has. And I suspect that ability will be adapted to the F-15E, Buff, B-1 and B-2 along with the EC and RC birds within 5 years. The enemy is safe as long as he is scanning. But a lock requires a much higher radar signature. When you go to get a lock you get hit with a signal that takes out your radar. This includes both ground and air. It's extremely narrow more like a beam and directed at the enemy that has the power to do a lockon. It takes less time for the beam to be sent than the lock itself. The F-35 and the F-22s pilot gives the system the parameters and it's done automatically. No conscious thinking on the human side. Meanwhile, the other guy has to make a decision whether to fire or not. Microseconds versus 1/4 of seconds wins. This is not done by the aircraft, it's done by the strange AESA radar that the F-22, F-35 and some of the F-15Es use.

You need to read up on the AN/ASQ-239. What it can do is known in the F-35 community but how it does it is closely guarded. No, the AN/ASQ-239 was omitted on the Israeli F-35I. That is one secret that we will NOT export. You have to roll your own or buy it from the Israelis.
In
Never claimed they weren't working on it ...if you think you tanker will disapear from radar and sail right thru enemy defenses you are a fool

I only means that they can operate closer to the action in support of the war birds. Normally, at 120 miles, the tanker, RC and EC stands out like a sore thumb. So they pretend to be something else or redirect the radar signal. While you may know they are there, there isn't enough to lock on by either the air or the ground. While you are trying to get that lock, there is some things you can't see sending you a nice present you really don't want to open.

You assume that the tanker will be alone. That's not the way it is done. Even in WWI the Germans learned to operate as a unit. The Brits and the French learned this the hard way but they learned it pretty damned fast.

Get with the program and stop your trolling.
 
I assume nothing.....escort most likely would be missle armed drones due to fighter shortage
 
and we cant seem to build tankers either.....fighters that cant fight and tankers that cant tank.....
If unresolved, KC-46 deficiency could threaten acceptance of Boeing tanker

There is only one deficiency that has to be taken care of. And it really only truly affects the stealth covered aircraft like the F-22/F-35/B-2. The boom sometimes scrapes the receiving aircraft. While it's not a big thing on normal aircraft, it will put scrape marks on the stealth birds. This is a control problem. They have 1 year to get it taken care of. You can start harping a year from now if you wish. I'll listen then. But not now.
 

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