Your Nation's Air Force Mark II:

[Gallia-]

just use missiles

if youre at the point where air-to-air lasers are viable

a c-5 is probably the second stupidest mount you could fit it on

[Schwere Panzer Abteilung 502]

Can a powerful enough radar do physical damage to the electronics of aircraft? I've heard that if a carrier battle group all turns on their big radars at the same time, it puts enough energy into the air to fly a bird in midair - is this at all true? I can't imagine that all that energy would do nothing.

[The Akasha Colony]

Can a powerful enough radar do physical damage to the electronics of aircraft? I've heard that if a carrier battle group all turns on their big radars at the same time, it puts enough energy into the air to fly a bird in midair - is this at all true? I can't imagine that all that energy would do nothing.

It doesn't do "nothing." It radiates outward to cover tens of thousands of cubic kilometers of airspace to scan for threats. But because of that, it won't be "frying" anything, because it's too dispersed across different bands and in different sectors.

[Schwere Panzer Abteilung 502]

Can a powerful enough radar do physical damage to the electronics of aircraft? I've heard that if a carrier battle group all turns on their big radars at the same time, it puts enough energy into the air to fly a bird in midair - is this at all true? I can't imagine that all that energy would do nothing.

It doesn't do "nothing." It radiates outward to cover tens of thousands of cubic kilometers of airspace to scan for threats. But because of that, it won't be "frying" anything, because it's too dispersed across different bands and in different sectors.

Could the powerful radars on destroyers and the like do real damage to planes?

[The Akasha Colony]

It doesn't do "nothing." It radiates outward to cover tens of thousands of cubic kilometers of airspace to scan for threats. But because of that, it won't be "frying" anything, because it's too dispersed across different bands and in different sectors.

Could the powerful radars on destroyers and the like do real damage to planes?

Yes, in that they could illuminate the planes for engagement with SAMs.

No, in that they don't put out enough power to cause any harm to an aircraft, and it's also generally in the wrong band (microwave ovens usually operate in the UHF band, not the X-band). There are also other reasons why a powerful radar wouldn't work like a microwave oven and heat the target up.

[Prosorusiya]

Dagestan, Ingueshita, Chechnya, North Ossetia, Kabardino-Balkaria, and Karachy-Cherkessia.

Alos, how would I go about training a new airfare

There's one at Magas that can take 737's and used to be military, and Belsan has a 3000m concrete runway.

2. Also, how would I go about training a new air force? I am assuming a core of veterans, and maybe only take people who have already gotten pilots liscences in order to reduce the need for training? I am wondering because each frontline squadron is supposed to have two combat capable training air craft each under Soviet doctrine, and thus I was thinking of replacing the J-7s and L-39s with Su-25s.

I wouldn't remove initial pilots licenses because that disqualifies any potential aviator that can't buy flight lessons on his own dime. Instructing new pilots is one of the key duties of veteran pilots. Usually they serve a tour of duty in the squadron and then return to flight school to teach while they're still fresh. I think the L-39 should be replaced by more modern trainer/light fighter rather than the Frogfoot.

Foreign exchange is also an option, you can send your pilots abroad to a wealthier ally and take advantage of their developed air force training for a while and use your limited airbases to house combat squadrons.

I'll definitely consider the foreign exchange program, as I could use more combat aircraft.

1. If not the Forgfoot for Nalchik, should I try to raise a complete helicopter regiment (45 helicopters, 15 Mi-17s and 30 Mi-24s) or just go with a separate helicopter squadron (2 Mi-6s, 12 Mi-17, 4 Mi-24)? I was hoping to have enough helos to airlift a battalion or so of light infantry, and possibly also move heavy artillery around as well.

2. Would it be advisable to replace J-7s with more advanced Mig-21 variants?

3.What do you guys think of the Tu-141 drone? Useless and outdated?

[New Visegrad]

just use missiles

if youre at the point where air-to-air lasers are viable

a c-5 is probably the second stupidest mount you could fit it on

the first stupidest mount is of course "anything other than a nuclear-powered Spitfire so you can fight the Second Battle of Britain against the hordes of Red Tu-16s"

or maybe that's the two hours I just spent following Cold War aviation history links on wikipedia talking

[Axis Nova]

I'm unsure if it's as plausible as you think it is. I don't know enough to be sure though. The main thing I'm unsure of is the ability for the aircraft to carry both a reactor and multiple solid state lasers of that power. For the unbuilt Convair X-6 the total weight of the reactor, engines and crew shielding was around 80 tons. The C-5's payload is around 135 tons. For a not-C-5 This would give you 65 tons. I don't know enough about the mass of solid state laser weapon systems to say whether or not that's enough for everything you'd need. Also keep in mind you'd probably need a much beefier reactor than the X-6 had in order to power multiple lasers. I'm unsure of how much mass that would cost you as most of those 80 tons is shielding and I don't unsure of how the increase the amount in shielding you'd need to compensate for the increased power of the reactor.

The NB-36 had a 3MW reactor for testing, crammed into a smaller aircraft with a lower payload than the C-5. Shouldn't be a huge problem, considering a laser in the 150kw range is under development for the Predator C. I can't imagine a 500kw model would weigh that much more. Giant reactor outputs are not needed, either- the aircraft would have 4-6 lasers at most and it's unlikely to be firing them all at once.

[New Vihenia]

Can a powerful enough radar do physical damage to the electronics of aircraft? I've heard that if a carrier battle group all turns on their big radars at the same time, it puts enough energy into the air to fly a bird in midair - is this at all true? I can't imagine that all that energy would do nothing.

Then it won't be a radar but a microwave "cannon" or HPM (High Powered Microwave) It needs strong pulsed power source in almost gigawatt range. Not megawatt like what current radars are.

There is one example of this like Ranets-E and CHAMP.

---
Radar might be able to do some part of HPM job but do not expect BVR missile range.. It would be similar as laser, occupying short range and point defense (1-20 km) Damage mechanism is same as EMP.

[Purpelia]

What is your opinion on the prospect of using microwaves as hand weapons? As in a maser pistol. How much power would I need to kill people at a decent range? How about melting through steel girders whilst boarding a ship?

[New Vihenia]

What is your opinion on the prospect of using microwaves as hand weapons? As in a maser pistol. How much power would I need to kill people at a decent range? How about melting through steel girders whilst boarding a ship?

Laser did better than microwave in your application.

[Purpelia]

What is your opinion on the prospect of using microwaves as hand weapons? As in a maser pistol. How much power would I need to kill people at a decent range? How about melting through steel girders whilst boarding a ship?

Laser did better than microwave in your application.

Yea but like lasers come with a whole different set of terminal effects. I basically want a heat ray.

[New Vihenia]

Yea but like lasers come with a whole different set of terminal effects. I basically want a heat ray.

Isn't laser already a heat ray ?

[The Akasha Colony]

What is your opinion on the prospect of using microwaves as hand weapons? As in a maser pistol. How much power would I need to kill people at a decent range? How about melting through steel girders whilst boarding a ship?

It won't do that last one, due to how microwaves operate. They aren't heat rays. They primarily affect water and fat molecules, which they use to heat the things around them. But they have a hard time heating things past the boiling point of water or oil because of this, which is why they are not common in commercial settings as they fall well short of the heat a good stovetop or oven can put out. And certainly far short of the heat necessary to melt steel.

In any case, microwaves affect metals by generating an electrical current, which in a small aluminum object can cause it to heat up quite rapidly, but if used against a large object would see the electric current dissipated throughout the larger structure. Microwave-safe metal objects do exist, and even aluminum foil can be microwave-safe.

[Purpelia]

Yea but like lasers come with a whole different set of terminal effects. I basically want a heat ray.

Isn't laser already a heat ray ?

Yea but like it also has other auxiliary effects. Either way, at this point my question changes due to the revelations by The Akasha Colony.

My new question is: "What would I need to do to get the following effect?"

Locked! Another dead end in his path, this time in the form of a blast door stood between him and where he needed to go. The thick sealed portal was imposing. Built to keep out the ravages of space it posed a deterrence to even the most dedicated border. The steel plate could by design no less be penetrated by no explosion too weak to breach the hull and decompress him foolish enough to try. But he was undeterred. Unlocking his holster he removed his flash gun. A small device, no larger than a compact pistol it fit neatly in the palm of his hand. He switched the weapon to lass and his hand forward as much as he could.
What followed next would have been impressive, if not for the fact that it was impossible to observe. First came a blinding flash and than a series of them each stronger than the next and in repetition like an atomic strobe light detonating at the tips of his fingers. Struggling through he held the weapon firm guiding it carefully around the doors edge. Where the beam struck the metal grew glowing hot, orange, red and than white all in the matter of seconds and proceeded to flow away like chocolate exposed to a blowtorch flame.
The door fell backward with a splash and settled into a pool of molten steel. He stood on top of it for a moment, floating upon the metal lake and than jumped off. There was a long path to walk yet.

[The Akasha Colony]

Isn't laser already a heat ray ?

Yea but like it also has other auxiliary effects. Either way, at this point my question changes due to the revelations by The Akasha Colony.

My new question is: "What would I need to do to get the following effect?"

Locked! Another dead end in his path, this time in the form of a blast door stood between him and where he needed to go. The thick sealed portal was imposing. Built to keep out the ravages of space it posed a deterrence to even the most dedicated border. The steel plate could by design no less be penetrated by no explosion too weak to breach the hull and decompress him foolish enough to try. But he was undeterred. Unlocking his holster he removed his flash gun. A small device, no larger than a compact pistol it fit neatly in the palm of his hand. He switched the weapon to lass and his hand forward as much as he could.
What followed next would have been impressive, if not for the fact that it was impossible to observe. First came a blinding flash and than a series of them each stronger than the next and in repetition like an atomic strobe light detonating at the tips of his fingers. Struggling through he held the weapon firm guiding it carefully around the doors edge. Where the beam struck the metal grew glowing hot, orange, red and than white all in the matter of seconds and proceeded to flow away like chocolate exposed to a blowtorch flame.
The door fell backward with a splash and settled into a pool of molten steel. He stood on top of it for a moment, floating upon the metal lake and than jumped off. There was a long path to walk yet.

Handwaving.

[New Vihenia]

Locked! Another dead end in his path, this time in the form of a blast door stood between him and where he needed to go. The thick sealed portal was imposing. Built to keep out the ravages of space it posed a deterrence to even the most dedicated border. The steel plate could by design no less be penetrated by no explosion too weak to breach the hull and decompress him foolish enough to try. But he was undeterred. Unlocking his holster he removed his flash gun. A small device, no larger than a compact pistol it fit neatly in the palm of his hand. He switched the weapon to lass and his hand forward as much as he could.
What followed next would have been impressive, if not for the fact that it was impossible to observe. First came a blinding flash and than a series of them each stronger than the next and in repetition like an atomic strobe light detonating at the tips of his fingers. Struggling through he held the weapon firm guiding it carefully around the doors edge. Where the beam struck the metal grew glowing hot, orange, red and than white all in the matter of seconds and proceeded to flow away like chocolate exposed to a blowtorch flame.
The door fell backward with a splash and settled into a pool of molten steel. He stood on top of it for a moment, floating upon the metal lake and than jumped off. There was a long path to walk yet.

a very large laser. or a large shaped charge.

and it won't be man portable.

[Purpelia]

Handwaving.

My rule with these things is that I break a machine apart into component pieces some of which are plausible and the other handwaved. And than I try and keep the handwaving to a minimum and to similar things. So for example my powered armor has handwaved battery power. Thus I can from that point onward use handwavum batteries for other devices. Thus I can make a handheld floodlight visible from 5km away because it's just a regular light bulb (no hand waving) and a supercharged power source.

So basically I am currently working to identify what needs handwaving and what I can get away with by using plausible principals of science in conjunction with the handwaved bits.

a very large laser. or a large shaped charge.

and it won't be man portable.

What if I handwaved the power requirements? I do have superbatteries of some sort.

[The Akasha Colony]

Handwaving.

My rule with these things is that I break a machine apart into component pieces some of which are plausible and the other handwaved. And than I try and keep the handwaving to a minimum and to similar things. So for example my powered armor has handwaved battery power. Thus I can from that point onward use handwavum batteries for other devices. Thus I can make a handheld floodlight visible from 5km away because it's just a regular light bulb (no hand waving) and a supercharged power source.

So basically I am currently working to identify what needs handwaving and what I can get away with by using plausible principals of science in conjunction with the handwaved bits.

a very large laser. or a large shaped charge.

and it won't be man portable.

What if I handwaved the power requirements? I do have superbatteries of some sort.

A laser would do it, as they are already used for cutting and welding and unlike microwaves would not have their heat output dispersed as an electrical charge. The problems are energy source and waste heat dissipation (cooling).

[Purpelia]

A laser would do it, as they are already used for cutting and welding and unlike microwaves would not have their heat output dispersed as an electrical charge. The problems are energy source and waste heat dissipation (cooling).

I have power already sorted. As for cooling I'll see if any of my other HWtech applies. If not I might have to go into it more later.

For now, what kind of an effect would this weapon have on a human?

[New Vihenia]

What if I handwaved the power requirements? I do have superbatteries of some sort.

you will end up handwaving cooling requirement and the laser itself. just find another way if you wish to include some real physics.

[Purpelia]

What if I handwaved the power requirements? I do have superbatteries of some sort.

you will end up handwaving cooling requirement and the laser itself. just find another way if you wish to include some real physics.

Why the laser? I figured that if I just pumped enough energy into a laser of some sort it would produce a lot of output. Than again I am woefully unknowledgeable about these things.

[New Vihenia]

Why the laser? I figured that if I just pumped enough energy into a laser of some sort it would produce a lot of output. Than again I am woefully unknowledgeable about these things.

and lot of heat. every machine have so called "thermal efficiency" that they may not convert all of their input into output but some will missing as heat. This include laser.

Those heat need to be dispensed out.. thus why cooling system exist, otherwise the machine will melts away or damaged due to heat.

[Purpelia]

Why the laser? I figured that if I just pumped enough energy into a laser of some sort it would produce a lot of output. Than again I am woefully unknowledgeable about these things.

and lot of heat. every machine have so called "thermal efficiency" that they may not convert all of their input into output but some will missing as heat. This include laser.

Those heat need to be dispensed out.. thus why cooling system exist, otherwise the machine will melts away or damaged due to heat.

Yea, I figured that cooling would be an issue. But like you said the laser it self would also need some handwaving thus implying that the mechanism of getting that energy into beam + heat is also problematic.

[Axis Nova]

I'll expand on my last post, as I typed it on my tablet (and that's a pain in the ass since, well, tablet typing). The NB-36 and the X-6 are both from many decades ago, and reactor technology has only gotten better and lighter since then-- there are proposals for small reactors of between 10 and 50 MW in output, that weigh around 10 tons, including built in shielding. That is, in fairness, just for the central core, of course. But it shows that you can do it with less weight than back then.