Future Terran AWACS Platform

[efritsch]

Hey Everyone!

Been awhile since I posted anything on here. Been way too busy with school and work.

Anyway, here is my view of a Future Terran AWACS craft. I took references from the Boeing Sonic Cruiser, the BAe Nimrod AEW 3, and the EC-33B Tiger's Eye AWACS from Macross/Robotech.

Since current AWACS platforms do kinda have a blind spot underneath them (As far as I know), I added the forward radar dome on from the Nimrod AEW 3. On my craft, this acts like a look down radar. It looks through bottom 180 degrees, giving this AWACS craft a near 360 degree radar coverage.

I think that the engines on this craft may need to be resized. I turned the tail stabilizers downward, one to help mask the thermal signatures from the engines and two to prevent any blockage to the radar dome.

Comments and Crits welcome

AWAC01.jpgAWAC02.jpgAWAC03.jpgAWAC04.jpgAWAC05.jpg

[cavebear]

Nice design and yeah I would resize the engines. Right now if you remove what looks like a double intake feeding two engines then the size is right for one engine. An aircraft of this size really needs four engines so if you mount them all at the back it is kind of what the old Soviets used to do with a lot of their military aircraft. The Brits had some like that too if I recall correctly.

[kborak]

Awsome!

[Berkut]

looks pretty good so far, pretty functional

not sure about resizing the engines, maybe just a bit bigger, but I think they could be incorporated into the design a little smoother

[efritsch]

I made a different engine set. Used a design similar to the IL-62 Airliner.

I am going to play with the idea of winroot engines as seen on the BAe Nimrod or any of the V-Series British Bombers, maybe tomorrow.

AWAC06.jpg

[Freak]

very nice desgin.
Yeah the Nimrod Engines would suit this to a T

[efritsch]

Well, finally had time to make an attempt at the Nimrod (What a name for an aircraft) style engines embedded in the wing root. Mind you the wings aren't connected underneath yet. I want to see how they would look first.

AWAC07.jpgAWAC08.jpg

[chrisweuve]

FWIW, the blind spot underneath isn't as big a deal as you might think -- if a threat aircraft is that close, seeing it isn't going to help. AWACs are designed to keep events at a distance.

[Freak]

You really got to love the anem Nimrod.
The new engines look great.

[efritsch]

Originally Posted by chrisweuve

FWIW, the blind spot underneath isn't as big a deal as you might think -- if a threat aircraft is that close, seeing it isn't going to help. AWACs are designed to keep events at a distance.

I know that the blind spot isn't that big, but its still a blind spot. An AWAC flying over hilly terrain may not see an intruder that is terrain masking until its far too late, especially if its escorts are distracted.

I figure that a complete 360 degree view is better than a near 360 view. The nose radar can also be slaved to track just ground targets while the radome tracks aircraft. I'm sure battlefield commanders would rather perfer to know the exact position of enemy formations.