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Aviation History
1981
1981 - 2185.PDF
SCIENCE SCOPE For the first time, the F-15 Eagle has made detailed radar maps using real-time SAR (synthetic aperture radar) techniques. The maps, made at ranges up to 160 nautical miles and with resolution down to 10 feet, were part of a demonstration of the multamission capabilities of the new F-15 Strike Eagle. The tests were conducted by an F-15 whose AN/APG-63 radar had been modified by increasing its bandwidth and reprogramming its programmable signal processor. All flights were realistic profiles so that new navigation penetration and all-weather weapon delivery modes could be evaluated. Sponsoring the tests were McDonnell Douglas Corp., builder of the U.S. Air Force fighter, and Hughes, the radar supplier. An antenna built to extremely close tolerances is a key element of a military weather satellite that will use a microwave sensor to gather vital data about clouds, rain, wind speed, soil moisture, and sea ice. The antenna is a light weight graphite fiber dish with a gelcoat finish and an aluminum coating two ten-thousandths of an inch thick. The dish is contoured to an accuracy of bet ter than one thousandth of an inch, making it one of the most accurate imaging microwave instruments ever built. The antenna is designed to operate over tem perature ranges from -120°F to 180°F and will detect radiation in four frequency bands — 19, 22, 37, and 85 GHz. Hughes built the antenna for the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program under a U.S. Air Force contract. A new communications system delivered to the U.S. Navy saves weight and space over previous systems. The Hughes tactical information exchange system (TIES) uses a single set of hardware to accommodate many different digital and voice communications processing. This was made possible by a new frequency translator unit and a programmable signal processor. Previous systems used separate pieces of equipment for amplitude modulation or frequency modulation of voice and data. Passengers flying on a number of airlines between Miami, the Caribbean, and South America are enjoying smoother flights because of a weather satellite. Although tropical thunderstorms develop and die quickly through much of the area, airlines can avoid them and take advantage of beneficial winds by studying pictures from a GOES (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite) space craft. The airlines can even determine when turbulence will be at a minimum and then advise cabin attendants to serve in-flight meals. GOES was built by Hughes and is operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Not even the darkest night will help enemy troops hide from the U.S. Army Cobra attack helicopter, once an infrared sensor is added to the helicopter's tele scopic sight unit. The sensor is a forward-looking infrared (FLIR) receiver, which creates TV-like pictures by detecting small differences in temperatures of objects in a scene. It gives the gunner a clear, bright picture — despite darkness, smoke, camouflage, or haze :— so he can accurately fire TOW antitank missiles, rockets, and guns. Hughes developed the unit, called the FLIR Augmented Cobra TOW Sight (FACTS), using the Army's FLIR common modules. The next step for FACTS will be a full-scale engineering development program. i— 1 i HUGHES I i 1 HUGHES AIRCRAFT COMPANY INTERNATIONAL
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