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Re: Battle blimps

From: KH.Ranitzsch@t...
Date: Thu, 18 Apr 2002 17:09:23 +0200 (CEST)
Subject: Re: Battle blimps

Ryan Gill schrieb:
> >Modern fighters have TV sets with zoom optics and IR 
> > detectors. The blimp would have to be stealthed against that, too.
> 
> Granted. But those suckers can hide in clouds and spend 
> lots of time loitering. 

Above a certain height, there are not that many clouds. And even in
cloudy heights, you may well have days of sunshine. Plus, clouds may
well indicate turbulence, which is not too nice for a blimp. A rigid
Zeppelin should cope better.

And if the blimp relies on optical or infrared sensor for recce, it
can't do much from inside a cloud.

> Additionally, if they are acting as the AEW 
> and have lots of radar aperature to look at you with, they can also 
> guide missiles in on you. Imagine a SPY radar that is not on the
ship, 
> but 14,000 feet over the task group. 
> Suddenly that radar foot print for those SM2ER's has a whole much
longer 
> range. 
> Opforce would find their aircraft sitting on the ground with RWR's
going off.

And their anti-radiation missiles would have a juicy guidance beam.

I'm not saying that a battle blimp could not be useful. Just that it it
won't be invulnerable.

Greetings


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