LPI low detectable airborne radar is a high-tech avionics that has emerged in the 21st century. This feature is not even available on the F22A, a heavy stealth fighter long considered the world's most powerful fighter. The F22A was the first model to be equipped with a large active phased array airborne radar, and its launch unit components are thought to have probably exceeded 1,000. Moreover, the power generation capacity of the F22A is also very strong, so the detection distance of a typical third-generation aircraft target such as the F16, the main radar object of the nose, is considered to be more than 280 kilometers, and the full locking distance is also more than 120 kilometers. In contrast, the PD flat Doppler radar equipped with the early third-generation aircraft has a detectable ability of about 120 kilometers for typical third-generation aircraft, and the full locking ability is within 50 kilometers. So by the time the F22A had locked most of the third-generation aircraft and fired mid-range projectiles, most of the early third-generations did not know where the F22A was in the opposite airspace and had already begun to launch missiles to attack it from a distance.
This completely one-sided transparency of air combat against the F22A is also the fundamental reason why the F22A's early simulated air combat against the F16 or F15 can achieve tens of to 0. However, over time, many strategic opponents have learned about the F22A's first three-plate axe tactics. And many third-generation aircraft have also been upgraded to third-generation semi-advanced fighters equipped with active phased array radar. The launch unit components of airborne radars have also been generally upgraded to more than 800. Therefore, comparing the detection and locking distances, the three-and-a-half-generation fighter and the F22A are not much different; The biggest difference is only the difference in distance that is completely locked by the opponent because of non-stealth. And this difference can actually be compensated for by strong electronic warfare capabilities. At the same time, because the airborne radar of F22A has been developed and equipped for 20 years, its inherent technical shortcomings have gradually been mastered by opponents. That's what the F22A's airborne radar does, though it spotts and locks at a great distance. But its transmission power is also very large. As long as most of the rf spectrum of the F22A airborne radar is mastered in advance;
Then for most of the more advanced contemporary fighters of more than three and a half generations, regardless of whether they can be stealthy or not, they can immediately understand the existence of F22A in the opposite airspace. At this time, it is possible to suppress electronic warfare in accordance with the established procedures, or to pull away the flight distance as soon as possible for tactical evasion. If there is a powerful early warning aircraft or a high-powered electronic warfare aircraft in the air as a defensive side, it is even possible to counter-suppress and reverse lock the F22A at a long distance. As a result, the F22A, which originally had an absolute preemptive advantage in air combat, faced a new tactical embarrassment. This is that if a high-power phased array radar is always open in the air, it is easy for the opposite side to detect its own existence in advance. If you completely turn off your own radar at this time, you will immediately make yourself like a submarine in the deep sea become an island of information that knows nothing about the outside world, and even directly break into the opponent's pre-set air combat ambush circle that you do not know. At this time, it can only pass through other radars that are still on.
Partner F22A provides information on external targets; Or the large early warning aircraft of the side provides air forecasts at a long distance. However, both have birth defects. If the radar is kept on by the companion F22A, the two cannot fly too far. If the companion F22A is detected by the opponent in advance, it is basically equivalent to discovering the F22A in the radar silence at the same time; If the target indication must be provided by the early warning aircraft, then with the deployment of ultra-long-range air-to-air missiles, the early warning aircraft of the side will become the object of the opponent's priority air combat assault. In this way, the F22A fell into a technical trap where it was not appropriate to turn on the radar and not to turn on the radar. The first to solve this puzzle is the updated F35 series. Its basic operation is no longer like the F22A can only turn off the radar for air combat assault, but the air battle process from beginning to end to keep the local radar on, but the opponent may not be able to immediately recognize that this is the radar scan and lock signal from the F35. The basic principle is that human beings have invented and used radio equipment,
For more than 100 years, the earth's surface today, including the outer atmosphere, is filled with countless radar wave signals. That is, all kinds of clutter and interference are everywhere. For most fighters in air combat, the native radar and radar warning system only touches a particular band of radar detection waves; And only when the power of this detection wave reaches a certain intensity, these systems will react. Only then can you realize the presence of opponents in the air. For most low-power clutter, the system automatically filters out. The radar of the F35 is to continuously change the frequency while deliberately reducing the transmission power, such as camouflaging its own detection wave as the signal of the ground television signal tower, the opponent's radar alarm system cannot be quickly identified, which allows the F35 to track and quickly launch air-to-air missiles at the appropriate distance to carry out a pre-emptive strike. This method of virtual and real electronic countermeasures has obvious advantages at the beginning, but after F35's LPI radar technology has been understood by the outside world for more than a decade,
Also finally no longer fresh and absolutely ahead. This is because the F35's LPI radar technology, although advanced, is still very flawed from the beginning. For example, a signal disguised as a television signal tower. This camouflage is acceptable over densely populated areas on the ground, but if air combat is fought over the deep sea or the great desert where almost no one is completely deserted, is it not three hundred and two silver here disguised as a television signal in advance? And if there were also powerful electronic warfare aircraft in the opponent's air formation, the signal waves of the early LPI radar would be completely suppressed and blocked. At present, the most advanced approach is to directly integrate radar wave detection, battlefield high-speed data link transmission and electronic warfare into one. That is to say, there is no need to distinguish whether radar waves are used for long-distance detection, long-distance communication or electronic burn-through operations. Communicating with phased array radar? At first glance, it doesn't look reliable. In fact, it is completely feasible in principle. Let's take the simplest example. For example, flashlights are used for illumination at night. The beam of light from the flashlight,
It can also be seen as a special visible light radar. Because all visible light is one of the bands of electromagnetic waves. So can flashlights also be used to communicate over a certain distance? Actually, yes. For example, the change in the light and dark contrast of the beam of the flashlight can be converted into Morse code, so that the signal can be transmitted within a certain distance. Searchlights are still used on warships to communicate information. This also implies that almost all radars that actively emit electromagnetic waves actually have potential communication functions. But the biggest problem with traditional radar communication operations is that detection and communication cannot be carried out simultaneously. If the flashlight is constantly flashing light and dark to signal, then the flashlight as a night lighting can not be carried out at the same time. The same is true of most conventional radars. The most advanced phased array radar system is a "compound eye" structure plus super algorithm. Completely realized in the covert detection at the same time, carry out a very high rate,
Battlefield data link communication operations. In the eyes of the opponent in the air, at sea or even on the ground, he thinks that you are sending a high-speed data signal that is extremely confidential; In fact you are scanning and locking his position ready to fire; And when he thinks that you are scanning his position, you are actually using a high-speed data link to inform all the fire nodes of his specific location, ready to annihilate it immediately. The two are completely integrated without any distinction at all. And when the opponent thinks that you are emitting a very low-power camouflage clutter, the power of this "clutter" will be instantaneously powerful enough to completely burn through the opponent's radar. This is where the latest LPI radar that is about to be universally equipped with 5th generation aircraft is at stake. It is more than one dimension ahead of the first-generation PLI radar equipped on the F35. One has completely turned the once unattainable active phased array technology into a cabbage, and even used the active phased array in a large area on the home security system and the consumer-grade drone; How powerful is its latest fighter radar? It can only be said that it is unfathomable!