PlaneNerd Archive
🇵🇰⚡️🇮🇳 Indians are already writing fanfictions about their failed Operation Sindoor. PAF successfully changed ROEs midair but IAF couldn't? You are telling me a fucking Tejas's pulse doppler radar (Elta EL/M-2032) got a lock that an AESA radar equipped Rafale…
⚡️ I will once again do an easy-to-digest Radars 101.
At its core, a radar is just a radio wave flashlight. It does 3 things:
1. Sends out radio waves into the sky.
2. Waits for the waves to bounce back off something (like an enemy jet)
3. Measures the reflection to figure out:
How far the target is (range).
How fast it’s moving (Doppler shift).
Where exactly it is (direction angle).
How many targets there are.
@planenerd
At its core, a radar is just a radio wave flashlight. It does 3 things:
1. Sends out radio waves into the sky.
2. Waits for the waves to bounce back off something (like an enemy jet)
3. Measures the reflection to figure out:
How far the target is (range).
How fast it’s moving (Doppler shift).
Where exactly it is (direction angle).
How many targets there are.
@planenerd
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PlaneNerd Archive
⚡️ I will once again do an easy-to-digest Radars 101. At its core, a radar is just a radio wave flashlight. It does 3 things: 1. Sends out radio waves into the sky. 2. Waits for the waves to bounce back off something (like an enemy jet) 3. Measures the…
⚡️ Pulse-Doppler Radar (Old-School)
Sends radio waves in a fixed direction using a moving dish or antenna.
Physically moves the radar to scan different areas. Think of it like waving a flashlight around manually.
Detects motion by measuring the change in frequency (Doppler shift), which helps ignore clouds and trees.
Can struggle against stealthy or EMCON-silent targets
Slower refresh rate, limited multitarget ability.
Examples: EL/M-2032 (Tejas Mk1), Grifo S-7 (JF-17 Block I/II)
Good for the 90s. Still relevant in budget jets or trainers, but very limited vs modern threats.
@planenerd
Sends radio waves in a fixed direction using a moving dish or antenna.
Physically moves the radar to scan different areas. Think of it like waving a flashlight around manually.
Detects motion by measuring the change in frequency (Doppler shift), which helps ignore clouds and trees.
Can struggle against stealthy or EMCON-silent targets
Slower refresh rate, limited multitarget ability.
Examples: EL/M-2032 (Tejas Mk1), Grifo S-7 (JF-17 Block I/II)
Good for the 90s. Still relevant in budget jets or trainers, but very limited vs modern threats.
@planenerd
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PlaneNerd Archive
⚡️ Pulse-Doppler Radar (Old-School) Sends radio waves in a fixed direction using a moving dish or antenna. Physically moves the radar to scan different areas. Think of it like waving a flashlight around manually. Detects motion by measuring the change in…
⚡️ PESA Radar (Middle Tier)
"Passive Electronically Scanned Array"
Doesn’t need to move the dish anymore.
Uses electronic steering to move the radar beam quickly in different directions.
Still uses one big power source, which limits flexibility. This means it is a single point of failure (if the transmitter is jammed, the whole array fails).
Examples: N011M Bars (Su-30MKI), Zhuk-ME
Transitional tech. Powerful in the early 2000s, now starting to show its age against modern AESA-equipped fighters.
@planenerd
"Passive Electronically Scanned Array"
Doesn’t need to move the dish anymore.
Uses electronic steering to move the radar beam quickly in different directions.
Still uses one big power source, which limits flexibility. This means it is a single point of failure (if the transmitter is jammed, the whole array fails).
Examples: N011M Bars (Su-30MKI), Zhuk-ME
Transitional tech. Powerful in the early 2000s, now starting to show its age against modern AESA-equipped fighters.
@planenerd
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PlaneNerd Archive
⚡️ PESA Radar (Middle Tier) "Passive Electronically Scanned Array" Doesn’t need to move the dish anymore. Uses electronic steering to move the radar beam quickly in different directions. Still uses one big power source, which limits flexibility. This means…
⚡️ AESA Radar (Modern Gold Standard)
"Active Electronically Scanned Array"
Uses hundreds or thousands of mini transmitters called T/R modules.
Each one can fire in a slightly different direction, allowing the radar to:
Track many targets at once
Switch tasks instantly (searching + tracking + jamming)
Stay stealthy by randomizing its signals (low probability of intercept)
Expensive.
Slightly more maintenance-heavy due to complexity
Examples: RBE2-AA (Rafale), KLJ-7A (JF-17 Block III), AN/APG-81 (F-35)
Best radar tech today. Used in 5th gen and top-tier 4.5 gen fighters. Major gamechanger when paired with good EW and missiles.
@planenerd
"Active Electronically Scanned Array"
Uses hundreds or thousands of mini transmitters called T/R modules.
Each one can fire in a slightly different direction, allowing the radar to:
Track many targets at once
Switch tasks instantly (searching + tracking + jamming)
Stay stealthy by randomizing its signals (low probability of intercept)
Expensive.
Slightly more maintenance-heavy due to complexity
Examples: RBE2-AA (Rafale), KLJ-7A (JF-17 Block III), AN/APG-81 (F-35)
Best radar tech today. Used in 5th gen and top-tier 4.5 gen fighters. Major gamechanger when paired with good EW and missiles.
@planenerd
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Hum Chale, Dushman Jale
Pakistan Zindabad
Pakistan Zindabad
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🇵🇰🇨🇳⚡️🇮🇳 Because nations don’t build for just one war or one timeline.
Any serious military maintains two air forces:
1. One that fights now.
2. One that will fight tomorrow.
Ignoring either is suicidal. That’s how you get leapfrogged.
This is why real procurement involves:
Staying ahead of tech cycles (AESA, LO platforms, data fusion, etc.)
Preparing for threats 10-20 years out
Matching enemy mass production with your own scale and timelines
You fall behind once, and you’re playing catch-up for decades.
This is why China develops the J-35, to stay future-ready.
This is why Pakistan is interested in it, to maintain parity.
Only armchair generals ask why a country moves from 4.5 gen to 5th gen. Ask yourself this: if your Rafale was so game-changing, why are you begging the US for F-35 access?
@planenerd
Any serious military maintains two air forces:
1. One that fights now.
2. One that will fight tomorrow.
Ignoring either is suicidal. That’s how you get leapfrogged.
This is why real procurement involves:
Staying ahead of tech cycles (AESA, LO platforms, data fusion, etc.)
Preparing for threats 10-20 years out
Matching enemy mass production with your own scale and timelines
You fall behind once, and you’re playing catch-up for decades.
This is why China develops the J-35, to stay future-ready.
This is why Pakistan is interested in it, to maintain parity.
Only armchair generals ask why a country moves from 4.5 gen to 5th gen. Ask yourself this: if your Rafale was so game-changing, why are you begging the US for F-35 access?
@planenerd
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Forwarded from The Pakistan News — پاکستان 🇵🇰
⚡🇵🇰🇨🇳🇦🇿— It's now confirmed officially by the Government of Pakistan that China has offered Pakistan with 40 J-35s, KJ-500 AEWACs platform and HQ-19 ADS (Chinese version of the American THAAD)
— Moreover, it's now also confirmed officially that Azerbaijan has increased the order of the JF-17s to a total of 40 Aircrafts.
@ThePakistanNews
— Moreover, it's now also confirmed officially that Azerbaijan has increased the order of the JF-17s to a total of 40 Aircrafts.
@ThePakistanNews
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🇷🇺⚡️🇺🇦 This morning, Russian forces launched a coordinated missile and drone strike across multiple regions of Ukraine.
Footage from Lutsk shows four Kh-101 long-range cruise missiles in flight, likely launched from Tu-95MS or Tu-160 bombers.
The Kh-101, particularly the 504AP variant, features an L-504 chaff/flare system designed to counter air defenses. It flies at extremely low altitudes (30–40 meters) to avoid radar detection, before climbing and diving onto its target in the final phase, deploying countermeasures to confuse incoming interceptors.
@planenerd
Footage from Lutsk shows four Kh-101 long-range cruise missiles in flight, likely launched from Tu-95MS or Tu-160 bombers.
The Kh-101, particularly the 504AP variant, features an L-504 chaff/flare system designed to counter air defenses. It flies at extremely low altitudes (30–40 meters) to avoid radar detection, before climbing and diving onto its target in the final phase, deploying countermeasures to confuse incoming interceptors.
@planenerd
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