Quote:
Originally Posted by Olefin
I think that would come down to what they are using for propulsion - the dirigible itself may not register but its engines sure would be a source of heat
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Not so sure about that, since a stinger is designed to detect and home in on hot-buring turbine or jet engines.
Ultralight engines are comparatively small, cool heat sources; Dirigible engines are larger - but still not all that hot. The gas envelope is doing the hard work or keeping the thing in the sky.
No tone (detection), no target.
And another point - who says they still have Stingers?
As you say, they did not need them in the US - but there were a ton of Soviet aircraft in Europe and China: (Early 1997) "Quit bitching. You ain't being air-raided like the boys in Poland are today. If you need Stingers, Uncle Sugar will issue you some more off the assembly line."
And then TDM stops the assembly lines.
Uncle Ted