There's large antennas and then there are large antennas.
Consider a VHF phased array radar whose elements are dispersed over an area, such that any particular HARM missile would only disable one element, and thus only slightly degrade the radar.
Even if VHF radar doesn't have the resolution to locate the target precisely enough for missile targeting, it CAN be used to vector fighters to the general location, which can then visually locate the aircraft, use their onboard radar (stealthyness decreases the closer the radar gets to you), or use other technology, like LIDAR or IR tracking, against which radar stealth may be useless.
True, in which case there’ll be F-35 losses.
But what happens when the F-35s are flying with F-22s as escort or providing general area top cover? With E-3s monitoring and controlling the engagement?
The F-117 and B-2 have, IMHO, created a misperception that the role of stealth attack aircraft is to operate alone on high risk deep penetration missions against high value targets. That’s NOT what the F-35 is designed to do. It’s designed to act as a light strike fighter bomber (more A-7 than F/A-18) in a tightly integrated combat environment.
The “traditional” lone wolfish stealth attack missions will be left to B-2s and stealthy UCAVs. Like the two different types that have recently been photographed in flight over the Midwestern and Southeastern US.
Enemy fighters are always a threat. Going to guns on a B-2 bomber is obviously going to make stealth a non-issue. But as impressive as LIDAR is, I'd hate to rely on it alone against enemy fighters that have AWACS support and advanced radar.
I misunderstood your post with my first reply. You are talking about a very, very large phased array transmitter.
Interesting, but I think your wavelengths would be so huge (HF), that the returns would be close to unusable. Obviously it would require a tight Doppler filter, but you’d still be picking up all returns from thousands of miles away (perhaps even world wide). That would mean you’d have to send out single-pulses, seconds apart, to eliminate pulse to pulse return confusion. Because of ground reflection and atmospheric bending accuracy would be in miles or tens of miles.
And yes, a large HF antenna would not be a HARM magnet for a variety of reasons, but such a very large antenna would be a cruise missile and JDAM magnet.