Do you guys think actual dogfighting will ever come back? What technology/weapon developments would be necessary for this to happen?
>>64754198Stealth and metamaterials. Make it so radar just can't pick up planes anymore so engagements all happen within visual range.
>>64754202That was my first thought too but will stealth ever get that good? My second thought is why not just detect planes by IR signature at that point?
>>64754198No HOBS IR missiles make dogfighting irrelevant even when you get to the merge. All dogfighting has been reduced to winning that first one-circle fight and getting your missile off.
>>64754198I want to see lasers being used to blind each other's cockpits and sensors. These lasers have 10-15km+ range easily and lock on and hit the target at speed of light, aka instant. Someone with better sensor and laser range can target enemy jets and make them irrelevant in "close" fight.
>dogfightingNot close enough
>>64754198No. A lot of armor and a lot of stealth. You'd need to be hard to detect at BVR ranges and you would also need to be tough enough to require huge warheads to kill.
>>64754253
>>64754198dogfighting was a meme even in ww2.
>>64754277>tough enough to require huge warheads to killDune Tier shields. Make the planes go close, all hot and sweaty against each other in a physical fight for dominance.
>>64754198You could get to the point where stealth and countermeasures are so good that missiles can't kill reliably. In such a scenario your only option may be some type of unguided kinetic weapon that can't be soft-killed.
>>64754305>The unguided airburst air-to-air nukes are coming back
>>64754315Time to summon the Genie.
>>64754305>You could get to the point where stealth and countermeasures are so good that missiles can't kill reliably. In such a scenario your only option may be some type of unguided kinetic weapon that can't be soft-killed.DEWs will still be an option, the same developments that'd make them viable countermeasures and neutralize missiles will make them effective at fucking up a bigger aircraft too. Might see countries get serious about hypervelocity kinetic guns, railguns or coilguns too I guess.Though I don't think traditional dog fighting would ever come back at this point, it'll still all be computer controlled and if anything would accelerate eliminating pilots from the ASF role. If you really do have to go closer range and higher energy maneuvers become valuable, then not having the g-force limitations of a meat pilot is just too big an advantage. Drone will also have full spherical all around fusion vision, both optical and a lot of other shit. Be an interesting new arms race in some ways, but not a return to anything old either.
>>64754198F-16N is my 2nd favorite F-16 after the YF-16.
>>64754198Isn't it just bound to happen anyway when things get real messy?
