Karat and Toygun specs dropped.
@Afif what are the implications of KARAT being LWIR and TOYGUN being MWIR?
So, from my incomplete reading on the subject what i previously understood is, LWIR can see objects with lower temperature than MWIR, which make them more suitable to find targets at higher altitude (at longer ranges) against cold sky background.
but LWIR sensor is not very suitable against targets at lower altitude within surface/cloud background, because the contrast is too low.
On the otherhand, MWIR has more contrast. Which makes them more capable for finding targets at lower altitude than the searching platform itself within cloud and surface background.
So apparently, KAAN will have the advantage of both MWIR and LWIR, Unlike current F-35. (However, I read somewhere next gen EOTS may have a LWIR sensor also. Not sure how they will fit it)
Could these two be used together to generate a weapons-grade track without using radar and therefore compromising stealth?
Yes and no.
The way I see is, generally there are two scenarios.
1. Target is actively emitting and it get caught on BUFRIS EW, then BUFRIS geolocate the target with outstanding precision based on its emmision and cue the KARAT IRST to tracked and indetify the target.
Ultimately, KAAN's central proccessing core after doing an excellent amount of sensor fusion from BUFRIS and KARAT as well as from off-board sesnors (let's not forget each KAAN woild be highly connected to other KAAN in the area) provide a 100% passive complete fire control solution.
Now the thing is, a full passive fire control solution can be done with BUFRIS alone.
However, the way I understood the principle of Infrared search and tracking, KARAT and Toygun completely on their own cannot provide full fire control solution
without activating the laser range finder.
2. KARAT detects and tracks the targets but they are not actively emitting. Thus, you cannot use BUFRIS to accurately geolocate the target for a complete passive fire control solution.
In such scenario, there are broadly two option.
One is, a single KAAN in the formation takes the risk and actively emmits to get a full fire control solution for itself as well as for the others.
Or even better there is a unmanned loyal wing man, which will be deployed ahead of KAAN in the formation.
It will activate its own AESA sensor (cued by KARAT's tracking data from KAAN through data link) and paint the target for KAAN. Then KAAN will fire its long range BVR weapon.
And the risk in this case even more acceptable.
Now let's keep in mind, these two scenarios (1 and 2) here are highly oversimplified. There can be lots of variables in them.
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