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Aviation History
1963
1963 - 0393.PDF
FLIGHT International, 14 March 1963 373 Starfighter Electronics The F-104G has 12 electronic systems broadly divided between weapon control and communication-navigation-identification, the former being extensively integrated. Many systems are packaged in special containers, tailored to the electronics bay aft of the cockpit and generally called "Jeep cans" because of their resemblance to the famous 4 gal fuel container. A number of them have test connec tions for automatic checkout equipment. A further part of the programme is a very considerable amount of specialized test equipment for production and flight-line use. The task of "marry ing" the airborne equipment to the airframe has been considerable, and each successive operator—Lockheed, the USAF Flight Test Center, the European manufacturers and the Luftwaffe—has had to go through a familiarization stage during which serviceability rates have been relatively poor. But once the know-how has been accumulated, and both pilots and maintenance staff have got to know the systems, the overall performance has been good. Some excellent mean times between failure and accuracies are achieved. The weapon control systems are led by the Autonetics Nasarr monopulse radar for ground- and contour-mapping, terrain avoidance and airborne interception. Nasarr is the predominant system in the aircraft, and a key element in the attack role. To assist in radar lead-computing in pursuit-course air-to-air gunnery, steering reference and lock-on during missile launching, and for bombing, there are the optical and infra-red sights. In early F-104Gs, LABS delivery of the nuclear store, by way of several manoeuvres, is controlled by the Mergenthaler Linotype M-2 bombing computer; but this equipment is now being replaced by the simpler and smaller Lear dual timer. The communications-navigation-identification group consists mainly of the Litton Industries LN-3 inertial system, the Computing Devices of Canada Position and Homing Indicator IVB, AiRe- search air-data computer and Honeywell MH-97G autopilot, all of which are to some extent integrated among themselves and with the weapon control systems. Finally there are the Canadian Collins AN/ARC-552 UHF radio, a three-channel UHF stand-by radio (as yet undecided), the I.T. & T. AN/ARN-52 Tacan and the Hazeltine AN/APX-46 IFF. All this equipment is being progressively produced in Europe, as seen in the table on page 377. A typical sequence for licence produc tion is that undertaken by MBLE for their portion of Nasarr. They received 24 sets of "black boxes," which they inspected and tested —itself a lengthy procedure taking several weeks for each set of equipment. They then received 85 "knock-down" sets, which they assembled and tested. Finally they are receiving 55 sets of detail components with which they will carry out the complete assembly operation. At the beginning of December they had delivered three Nasarrs and had another six ready. Nasarr Eye of the F-104G is the North American Search and Ranging Radar (Nasarr), developed since 1957 by NAA's Autonetics division. It is also installed in the Republic F-105D, and is made by four main European licensees from whom Autonetics have received contracts for assemblies and parts worth $44m. About 400 sets have so far been delivered in component or subassembly form. Each Nasarr weighs 3111b, and costs approximately $100,000 (£36,000). The capabilities and operating modes were specified in November 1959, the primary requirement being for attack naviga tion and bombing, though an air-to-air interception capability was subsequently added. Nasarr, designated F-15A, has passed through -11, -21, -31, -32 and -41 stages, and now meets the reliability and performance specifications originally laid down. Existing -31 sets are being modified to -41, which represents the final configuration. Autonetics established at its own expense a wholly owned sub sidiary at Turin Caselle Airport called North American Aviation Three Nasarr aerials under test at North American Aviation SpA. They scan surrounding countryside through a dielectric wall SpA, in order to co-ordinate and support all Nasarr work in Europe. Today NAA SpA provides training, maintenance and modification service, quality control and performance records, and maintains an extensive network of field-representatives. This is typical of the type of support being provided by all the major US companies involved, in their determination to see the programme through to a successful conclusion; and it is to a great extent by their efforts that the various deficiences and slippages of earlier days have been largely recouped. Nasarr is easily the largest single system in the F-104G, and it is in some ways its most intriguing feature. Although it has compre hensive facilities for the air-to-air use of gun, rocket and missile armament in either lead-pursuit or collision-course attacks, its most striking capability is in low-level navigation and terrain avoidance, and in locating and attacking surface targets. Really effective use of the radar calls for a high degree of pilot skill. His ability to read the radar picture and control the presentation while flying at sonic speed among mountains calls for careful training and pre-flight study. There is relatively little that he need do with the navigation systems, but the success of his approach to the target and attack depend largely upon his ability as a radar operator. It is for this reason that such emphasis has been laid in recent months on Nasarr training aircraft. Unfortunately, the crucial element in Nasarr operation is the time scale determined by the speed of the aircraft, and a trainer much slower than the operational machine has a correspondingly limited value. In the air-to-air search mode, Nasarr scans over a fan-shaped arc ahead of the aircraft, the aerial shifting up or down at the end of each sweep to cover a forward sector of some depth. When a target is located, the pilot presses the action/reject button on the stick to make the aerial scan a narrow sector bracketing the target echo. He then moves a range gate on the scope over the target echo, and Portable test equipment for line-checking of installed Nasarr I 1_ rC^'iM^k^'i-- -~ . *at ^^^^» •..»A»^_ t ^BB B|^^mi^_^HB l^Bfe. ' BIBBS —-' • • ^-^ GS& u wy m dl « >^// 1
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