Delete. 
The Electric Army
- Thread starter redbone3
- Start date
And there ya go. Spend $100 million to save $20 million. No wonder the country is broke.
But wait, it fits the current narrative so why not? lol
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- Nov 29, 2021
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I think there is a complete lack of logic on the most basic things during this moment in time.
Completely and utterly nonsensical.
Folks, it's time we stand up for what's real, possible and practical, and what's not.
Folks, it's time we stand up for what's real, possible and practical, and what's not.
A tank husk that is dead for a long time may not show up in IR but the heat given out from a tank that's been in active use hours after it's been shut off is crazy easy to spot in IR. Even the heat absorbed from a hot sun on the metal is enough to spot if the surrounding area is "cool" enough, ie: a forest or grassy plain.
Correct, at least with the Javelin, not sure about other IR weapons. The target is essentially a picture so a picture get taken when the operator "locks on" a target and then the missile will refresh itself X amount of times per second while flying.
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Electric helicopters will be epic! 10 minutes of flight time.
I was thinking of the Sidewinder. The balloon shot over the waters off of South Carolina was apparently shot with an AIM-9X, which has an infrared imaging seeker. Raytheon makes the Sidewinder and the Javelin, so it wouldn't surprise me if they have the same people working on both.
My reading of the Javelin is that it does its seeking based on temperature differences in an infrared image of the target, which would be easy with something like the edge of a tank. It could probably hit a stationary target that's cold, just based on easily seen temperature gradients.
I've heard that the Javelin has been used to hit helicopters and even buildings. A building would definitely look like something with heat differences. I guess it could just lock on the chimney.
This is getting kind of silly. The DoD is looking into hybrid propulsion for some combat vehicles, but they're really looking at going all electric as much as they can for all that mundane transport they do. I mentioned it before - passenger cars, pickups, buses, cargo vans, etc. Like getting a Big Mac at the base McDonald's. Buses are uniquely suited for transit buses because there's typically a large unused space that can then be configured for batteries and they don't typically have cargo holds. Even with cargo holds there should be ample space for batteries with a high floor bus.
The technology for this already there. I see a lot of EV passenger cars and SUVs in my neighborhood. I've ridden on all electric transit buses. The challenge would be in charging infrastructure.
So coal and gas powered buses, or do we move operations to night, and have them charge while the sun shines ?This is getting kind of silly. The DoD is looking into hybrid propulsion for some combat vehicles, but they're really looking at going all electric as much as they can for all that mundane transport they do. I mentioned it before - passenger cars, pickups, buses, cargo vans, etc. Like getting a Big Mac at the base McDonald's. Buses are uniquely suited for transit buses because there's typically a large unused space that can then be configured for batteries and they don't typically have cargo holds. Even with cargo holds there should be ample space for batteries with a high floor bus.
The technology for this already there. I see a lot of EV passenger cars and SUVs in my neighborhood. I've ridden on all electric transit buses. The challenge would be in charging infrastructure.
I’m pretty sure that a place like San Diego has municipal utilities that are provided to the bases. But at the very least it’s far more efficient and quieter than an onboard internal combustion engine. Industrial power generation is considerably more efficient than a diesel engine.
I’ve been around in electric transit buses. They were nice and the best part is that didn’t smell like diesel exhaust.
We have to get with the program. Charge them off peak, and save money. lol
This is what the Jav IR system sees in white-hot mode (pic found on Quora but it's the same in training docs.) Personally, I like black-hot more but it's all circumstantial.
A target reticle gets manually placed into position around the target, sent to the warhead and as the warhead flies it will update the picture in-flight. You are correct, it can also be used against hovering/slow helicopters and buildings, which what it's primary use in the Middle East. Only 2 are allowed per USMC battalions for training and all use of it in Iraq/Afghan had to be approved by the Battalion CO first.
It's a lot harder than it seems but the optics on the system is astounding. The IR isn't for the missile's targeting per se, it's for the operator to easily see concealed vehicles and crop a picture of it so the missile can follow the picture.
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This is what the Jav IR system sees in white-hot mode (pic found on Quora but it's the same in training docs.) Personally, I like black-hot more but it's all circumstantial.
A target reticle gets manually placed into position around the target, sent to the warhead and as the warhead flies it will update the picture in-flight. You are correct, it can also be used against hovering/slow helicopters and buildings, which what it's primary use in the Middle East. Only 2 are allowed per USMC battalions for training and all use of it in Iraq/Afghan had to be approved by the Battalion CO first.
It's a lot harder than it seems but the optics on the system is astounding. The IR isn't for the missile's targeting per se, it's for the operator to easily see concealed vehicles and crop a picture of it so the missile can follow the picture.
I suppose the first thing people are thinking of with any kind of anti-tank missile is that it's going straight at the target. But I guess tanks are far more vulnerable from above. I found some video. It's probably an older version, but it clearly shows the missile going high up. You can't see it very well, but it's obviously dropping almost straight down on the target. I heard that's how a Phoenix missile worked - going well above the target and then dropping down.
Yes, top-down shot to vehicles, direct fire to helos, buildings, and vehicles that is under cover/concealment. I'm not aware of any direct-fire munitions that are IR except the Jav, at least ones that can be used by infantry and ground vehicles. All the direct-fire ones I know of are non-guided rockets like the LAW/SMAW or wire-guided like the TOW.
EDIT: I guess the NLAW is considered a missile and infantry-portable. I've been out of the game for a decade now and I don't recall hearing about this while I was in. I actually first heard about this missile through a game LOL.
It most definitely is dangerous, but cheap and from a time before computer-assisted weapons and vision were widespread. I've gotten the pleasure of shooting a TOW (Tube Launced, Optically Tracked, Wire Guided) missile during training and the ~15 seconds it takes to go it's max range of 3000m feels like forever.
Hyperbole is strong in this thread
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