LANTIRN/ATFLIR pods lasing drawing heatseeker missiles?

[WelshZeCorgi]

I don't know if this is a dumb question, but I do have to ask. Does lasing produce enough heat to draw the attention of any IR guided missiles?

 

So lets say that an 18 is lasing a SA-8 gecko and for whatever reason, flies into the WEZ of that gecko, and it fires its IR missiles. Lets also say that the 18, for whatever reason, continued to lase the target but did evasive maneuvers to avoid getting hit while dropping flares to defeat it. Would the still lasing pod become such a significant heat source that the IR missile will be able to guide in on it, increasing the chance of the 18 getting hit vs an 18 not lasing the gecko?

 

I know lasers get hot, I also know that it gets nowhere near burning-jet-fuel hot, but after hearing stories of pilots using IR missiles to guide in on the hot engines of tanks (not sure if true), I just had to ask. 

[Fri13]

I wouldn't think that the targeting pod would get so high heat as it has the cooling system. And it will automatically shut down when the whole pod internal section becomes too hot. 

There are procedures like to fly at higher altitude to get colder air in the pod, or then just turning it off to start cooling little faster. 

 

But that the laser would become so hot that it would be locked by IR seeker? I don't think so.  But is it possible? Maybe.

 

The stories about IR missiles on ground vehicles is there. Example the Mi-24's used R-60 missiles against ground targets and as well utilized them at night as a cheap IR seeker to find the hot vehicles without FLIR and NVG's as you got a tone with it. 

 

But it is not about specific temperature but the temperature difference between surrounding/background and the heat source itself that is more important for detection, where the heat is for getting stronger lock and way to maintain that lock against flares and all. 

[jojo]

The SA-8 missiles aren't IR guided.

 

9K33 Osa/Romb Self Propelled Air Defence System / SA-8 Gecko / Cамоходный Зенитный Ракетный Комплекс 9К33 Оса/Ромб (ausairpower.net)

 

There are some DIRCM systems using laser to blind IR missiles seekers, but it isn't targeting pod.

They are working on laser systems to destroy missiles in flight...but it's still kind of Sci-Fi right now !

Edited April 24, 2021 by jojo