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Post by Officer Crabtree on Oct 2, 2011 15:42:19 GMT 12
Since someone made a point that I probably have no idea what modern aerial recon is, may someone please provide a decent explanation? And I'm talking about manned craft, not UAVs since I pretty well know how they wotk and what they do.  |
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Post by baronbeeza on Oct 2, 2011 15:51:36 GMT 12
Are we talking New Zealand ?
In my day the guys were looking at foreign fishing vessels in a Govt co-operative deal and the odd search and rescue.
The 5 Sqdn guys would treat things much more seriously but some of that would naturally be classified. Same with some of the 'Secret Squirrel' stuff that goes on.
I think Electronic Warfare is the trade with a future, there has to be a need for it.
I will be completely off-track of course but I have also been involved in some of the Aussie Coast watch stuff, as a maintainer of some of the machines.
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Post by Officer Crabtree on Oct 2, 2011 15:54:45 GMT 12
I will explain slightly further. I am talking more about the RAF recon for instance possibly Afghanistan (and again, if they only use UAVs there then I will think of a past theatre where they used the Beeches instead)
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Post by ngatimozart on Oct 5, 2011 16:07:28 GMT 12
Don't forget satellite imagery as well. Not just in the visible wave length either. Infra red shows up lots of nice stuff to and the band is far far larger. You also have density changes and gravitational field changes you can measure from space as well. Plus the radar sats and lidar if one is flying.The resolution on the commercial and scientific birds is really quite good now and the NZG has signaled it is going to invest in satellite capability.
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Post by beagle on Oct 5, 2011 16:57:56 GMT 12
The Sentinel R1 is a modified Bombardier Global Express powered by two Rolls-Royce Deutschland BR710 turbofan engines. The first flight of the modified prototype was in August 2001, which validated the modifications required for the ASTOR system. The first production Sentinel R1 made its 4.4 hour maiden flight on 26 May 2004. The aircraft entered operational service with the Royal Air Force based at RAF Waddington and operated by No 5 (AC) Squadron.[3] The programme involved five aircraft and eight mobile ground stations (six on wheeled all terrain vehicles and two in air transportable containers), and a training facility at RAF Waddington. The Sentinel cockpit has a centrally housed, pull-down screen capable of displaying a moving map, Link 16 datalink information and defensive aids subsystem (DASS) data. The DASS comprises a towed radar decoy, missile approach warning system and chaff and flare dispensers and can be operated in automatic, semi-automatic or manual mode. The aircraft normally operates at over 15,000 m (40,000 ft) to ensure a high resolution view of a large battlefield area. It is crewed by a pilot, a co-pilot, an Airborne Mission Commander (AMC) and 2 image analysts. Mission endurance should be about 9 hours.[1] While the image analysts can analyse the images on board the aircraft it is expected that, unlike the JSTARS, the actual battle management will occur on the ground.[citation needed] The main radar is a Raytheon Systems dual-mode Synthetic Aperture / Moving Target Indication (SAR/MTI) radar  |
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Post by kiwiscanfly on Oct 6, 2011 0:08:04 GMT 12
wait we need new MPA aircraft and the RAF are getting rid of the R1 once it's operations in Afghanistan are over........ I spy an opportunity. Yea right  |
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Post by beagle on Oct 6, 2011 6:48:58 GMT 12
not much room for a bomb bay or even worse a full galley
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Post by beagle on Oct 6, 2011 10:07:36 GMT 12
must be room somewhere on it to put a EL/M 2022A(V)3
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Post by beagle on Oct 13, 2011 20:36:12 GMT 12
instead of a full galley, they could install at each operators seat something like some cars and trucks have. A small glovebox type container that keeps food hot and drinks cold.
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Post by ngatimozart on Oct 14, 2011 23:05:10 GMT 12
Jeez there's not a lot of clearance between the main sensor pod and the ground. a far as the galley goes they could instal a microwave and issue MREs as flight rations plus you can get small coffee pots. Sure you can shoe horn a small beer fridge in somewhere. So the poms getting rid of them after Afghan. That must be when their new EC135s or similar come online. Wonder what the flight hours are on the R1s and most important for NZ what the price would be. Would we really need them because the P3-K2 upgrade covers ISR.
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Post by beagle on Oct 15, 2011 15:22:01 GMT 12
Would we really need them because the P3-K2 upgrade covers ISR. Take all the gear out of them, put that somewhere on the P3, put some big cosy arm chairs in it and John has his own private corporate jet. |
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Post by ngatimozart on Oct 15, 2011 22:00:49 GMT 12
Would we really need them because the P3-K2 upgrade covers ISR. Take all the gear out of them, put that somewhere on the P3, put some big cosy arm chairs in it and John has his own private corporate jet. I reckon they'd be knackered after spending what 10 years in Afghan. the RAF are like the RNZAF they get their monies worth out of them, but yeah it would probably be worth buying them and installing the gear in the P3s. |
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Post by Naki on Oct 15, 2011 22:41:47 GMT 12
Ten years?...they only acheived IOC in 2006
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Post by haughtney1 on Oct 17, 2011 1:46:43 GMT 12
The RAF have a couple of The Sentinel R1's operating mostly out of Muscat into the MEAO at any one time, we sometimes hear the Iranians moaning at them on 121.5 (guard freq) for getting too close to their airspace over the gulf.
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Post by ngatimozart on Oct 19, 2011 20:27:28 GMT 12
Ten years?...they only acheived IOC in 2006 My apologies. I stand corrected. |
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