Look at AAM-4B seeker.
Could you provide an image or is that not suitable for the forum?
Yeah, that looks more like the top photo I posted
Spoiler
These are more modern seeker types, the PL-15E seeker appears to use slots similar to 9B-1103M (albeit a little different). I see no TR modules and while it is possible that it is AESA I will remain highly skeptical of such claims.
I’ve the original picture for allegedly AAM-4B;
So it has roughly 3x the T/R modules of the PL-15E? Would you not concur that the PL-15E is either extremely poor AESA or a semi-advanced non-ESA radar?
Non-ESA is more likely. I am not into chinese missiles, but since PL-15E is an export variant (I think?), its head was likely replaced with a Planar Array or anything like that but ESA.
T/R modules are independent of the board and that is the reason the board is plain, because this is in fact likely the back board, and the wires would have gone through those holes to T/R modules. A reminder that other than T/R modules, all other radar seekers are integrated.
As seen, the radr antenna is largely 1 ‘board’ or one plate. With TR modules however the plate at the back simply the support for the T/R modules.
Also it is known that PL15 has AESA seeker. Whilst it is classified, this is as good a look we get; for instance, have u seen R77M seeker (confirmed) or Meteor or AIM260 seeker?
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I am seeing only 192 holes (less if you think some of these are actually connected on the ends of a slit), which is not much as far as T/R modules count goes imo.
I have seen at least one of those, yes.
That is a slotted waveguide array, those holes are not for sticking wires on T/R modules.
What we see is the back of the PL-15 non ESA seeker, the rectangular slots are the waveguide branches and the slots are the … slots.
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That would indeed be quite a weak ESA ngl.
I edited my last post to show a diagram of a standard slotted waveguide antenna, I think it is clear the PL-15E is using one. The branch waveguides are missing and all we see is the radiating slots with the area for the waveguides behind them.
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Slots are designed in a way to fit specific frequency and wavelength, and they are never designed as ‘round’.
You either have a extremely poor AESA (worse than non AESA) or a decent slotted waveguide array, pick your poison
There is obviously a center slot for the main waveguide that is separated by strips of holes on either side. This is clearly a slotted waveguide array.
Seriously? So u know how they arrange the wires and all that? 192 modules is already a huge count considering the count of rafale is just 800. 200 modules are plentiful for a seeker which has near 0 Fov.
Would you mind sharing how they arrange the wires if that is your argument? Is there something I am missing? Currently the plate looks identical to what we could expect from a slotted waveguide antenna.
This is explicitly ur argument by arguing this is a waveguide.
How? referring to ur own picture, this would either be the main wave guide, which will not have been shaped as circular holes, or the branch wave guide which won’t have holes at all, or the radiation slots which will have ‘slots’ and not circular holes.
T/R modules.
Not for a seeker. Rafale’s one is only 800 T/R.
Which is quite poor, and the missile in question shot one down, didn’t it.
As a reminder to ur own post, the R77M only has a proposed 64 module.
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The R-77M isn’t in service yet, and the proposed seeker was extremely poor, so this is not news. Compare it instead to the AAM-4B.