I have a question for you more expert guys regarding AEW aircrafts - what is the most important capability that these kind of aircraft should have? I don't mean the electronics but the aircraft itself.
From what I can deduce these aircraft are not going to be on the frontline fighting so speed, maneuverability, etc. would no be that important. Wouldn't it be range and loitering time/endurance?
Seems the aircraft itself not that important as long as there is a suitable platform to put all the electronics in the air.
In that case, would not something like an airship be better?
airship lacks mobility and obviosuly very2 slow cant get away if enemy decide to target the airship
though there is heli-borne aew but it was for aircraft carrier protection
Yeah but let's say for our use to monitor SCS. Wouldn't this be a more economical and efficient platform for long-term monitoring? Maybe in hot situation can use normal AEW aircraft.
Additionally, curious also, once an aircraft has been targeted by missiles, how effective is it's maneuverability in overcoming this threat? Wouldn't the ECM and other countermeasures be more effective? The airship can have more of these (heck put a CIWS on it come to think of it).
Long endurance, smaller size normally equate smaller mantainance requirements.
What those aew need is endurance and space to put all the electronics. So it a bargain of either side. More space mean more advance thing can put in plus also for crew comfort.
U dont want to be in a sardine can right?
Yeah exactly, that's why I think airship is good idea. It has the endurance and you can theoretically build a very large one, larger than an aircraft and still be economical.
for peacetime its ok, airship with radar is ady used by usa to monitor its border and one time even msia consider to use one for esscom monitoring but i guess that didnt happen
aew aircraft usually got fighter escort or with electronic warfare fighter to protect it from enemy they dun fly alone as it is a very high priority target
Thanks for the info. Then maybe we should consider this again? Do you know why Msia scrapped the idea? Seems a suitable one especially for our current 'no money' times.
No reason why an airship cannot have escorts also.
AEW&C is not for patrolling but air defence providing fighters a "god's eye view" of the sky, hence the name Airborne Early Warning & Control. Its radar can see further than radars on the surface and can inform jet fighters where to fly for best advantage, like having an RTS game view when your opponents have only FPS view.
To patrol SCS we would need Maritime Patrol Aircraft armed with antiship missiles or torpedoes.
Not sure about manoeuvreability, I do not think speed is a major concern, except for a relatively minor advantage of being able to arrive on station quickly.
USAF did test an airship for mounting radar and stuff IINM, but the program has been cut. That tells you something about its viability anyway
Thanks for the reply, but the airship theoretically could be equipped with all of the above.
Do you know any more info on the test by the USAF? Especially on why it did not pan out? Anyway, this is just an idea that I thought maybe our country might want to look into.
Edit: I found the below. Seems the testing was a success but the hangar housing the airship fell down and damaged it beyond repair. The USAF still giving them money nevertheless.
DAMN IT my reply disappeared. Long story short, the slightest bit of bad weather is a major issue especially in maritime, roughest weather on the planet.
Military Thread V20 
May 26 2016, 02:21 PM
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