From: Tony Williams 

Adam > wrote:
> Tony Williams wrote:
>
>>Adam > wrote:
>>
>>
>>>Tony Williams wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>>Adam > wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>Oh &:
>>>>>
>>>>>http://www.spacedaily.com/news/uav-05zzzzzt.html
>>>>>
>>>>>& the russkis have a very cleaver bit of typical
russian tech:
>>>>>
>>>>>http://www.mosnews.com/news/2005/10/19/stealth.shtml
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>The generator is small and light. The device emits
powerful electron
>>>>>beams that ionize the air around the aircraft
effectively creating a
>>>>>plasma cloud around it.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>Someone's been watching "The Matrix" ...
>>>
>>>
>>>If it works then billions of dollars will have to be spent on Air
>>>defence systems.
>>>
>>>take a sunburn missile.....shove this on it....
>>>
>>>Now flog em to the Iranians....
>>
>>
>>Yep, that's why it's called an arms race. If radar can't see through
>>this stealth then another way will be needed, maybe ladar if it can be
>>made to work at a reasonable distance. Plus, I can't help wondering if
>>that plasma field has some effect on the aerodynamics of a craft which
>>could turn out to be useful.
>>
>
>
> Yup & the arms race is about to kick off again the coz the dominant
> power has a shedload of very expensive but obsolete equipment. Same as
> 1900 > 1945 in Naval warfare.
>
> Dreadnought & the aircraft carrier. If yu had lots of pre-dreadnoughts
> then...so? If you had lots of battleships when a/c carriers came along
> then...so?

Could be. The difference this time is that software plays an important
role. Take a state of the art UAV with crappy software and put it up
against an old clunker with a few clever programming tricks ... and just
wait until the 'A' begins to stand for 'Autonomous'.

> This is one of those moments & India, the PRC, Russia et al will be able
> to keep some sort of parity with the US fairly easily.

Especially if they can keep pace by upgrading the software. Gainful
employment for all those people who program Quake-bots.

> I wonder when we are going to get a Washington Treaty for stealth
> UCAV'es & then who will play the part of Japan & indeed who will get to
> play the part of the US then (i.e. achieve parity with the former front
> runner).

You mean this treaty?

  http://www.ibiblio.org/pha/pre-war/1922/nav_lim.html

I doubt it would translate well into present-day military hardware and software.

--
Tony

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