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Aviation History
2000
2000 - 0387.PDF
While its technology is very different, the .MESA builds on Northrop Grumman's long experience with the APY-1 and -2 radars in the AWA( IS. A key feature carried over is the abili ty to perform over land and sea, detecting and tracking air and surface targets. "Most other systems can't do both," he says. Over land, the MESA radar can see targets travelling at speeds down to lOkt (18km/h), while the AWACS radar is intentionally "notched out" at around 50kt to avoid over loading the processor. The MESA can handle up to 10,000 reports per scan, he says. Active electronically scanned array radar technology adds the ability to generate a flexi ble, agile beam that is not restricted to repeating endlessly the same 360° sweep. According to Northrop Grumman, an agile beam allows the radar to interlace several functions: • 360° surveillance, providing a 10s update rate and a range of 3 50-3 70km (190-2OOnm) against a Inr (11 ft) airborne target; • sector emphasis, focusing radar power in a particular direction to extend range; • maritime mode, detecting surface targets as small as fast patrol boats at reduced range; • dedicated track beams, providing target updates every second or less; • interleaved IFF. The agile beam also allows flexible radar util isation. The basic operating mode replicates the AWACS' capability, and provides uniform 360° coverage, but the electronically scanned array- allows the operator to focus the radar's energy in particular directions. In platform-stabilised sector operation, 30% of the radar's energy is redirected towards the side array that is facing the threat, providing increased range over one-third of the 360° scan.' For the remaining two-thirds of its scan the radar provides background coverage, but with reduced range. Ground-stabilised sector operation is simi lar, Adams says, "but because the Tophat has less gain than the side arrays there is not as much range increase" when the threat sector is ahead of, or behind, the aircraft as it orbits. Dedicated sector operation, meanwhile, focuses all the radar energy in a 3 0° threat sector, "and increas es performance by another factor", he says, adding that the mode is used "when you know exactly where to look". Northrop Grumman is set to deliver the first MESA array to Boeing in 2002, with deliveries of the 737 AEW&C to the Royal Australian Air Force expected to begin in 2003. As prime con tractor, Boeing leads a team that includes Northrop Grumman's Electronic Sensors and Systems Sector, Boeing Australia and BAE Systems Australia. Based on the configuration selected by Australia to meet its Project Wedgetail require- Boeing 737 AEW&C agile beam interlaces many missions Note: All functions share the same antenna Dedicated track beams -—__^ Airborne mode ~~^-\ Fighter, missile and helicopter ^P^H Maritime mode ^^^^^(y\AX A A L A rvXyvK^^^"^ FLIGHT GARETH BURGESS 00 Sector emphasis ^T Fast patrol boat and frigate ^^ Identification friend or foe ment, the Boeing-led team has created a "core product" for the export market, says Adams. This core system includes the airborne seg ment, mission planning and analysis, mission crew training and system support. The aircraft itself is based on the Boeing Business Jet, a hybrid of the 737-700 fuselage and strengthened 737-800 wing. The CFM International CFM56-7 engines are fitted with 90kVA generators to power the radar. Inside, the core 737 AEW&C has six mission consoles, mounted facing outwards (rather than forwards, as in the AWACS). There is a crew rest area in the centre cabin and die aft section is reserved for the radar electronics, with space available for growth. According to Adams, options include increasing the number of oper ator consoles to 10, increasing the radar power and modes, and fitting systems such as electron ic support measures. Turkey's AEW competition is in its final stages and Boeing/Northrop Grumman and Raytheon/Elta were due to submit their best and final offers on 10 February. The country has asked for up to eight aircraft, but so far only has funding for four. Having won in Australia against the Raytheon-led team offering an Airbus A310 equipped with Elta's Phalcon active-array radar, Adams believes a victory for the 737 AEW&C in Turkey would "open up Israel as the next tar get". Israel has operated Northrop Grumman E-2C Hawkeyes, and is seeking four AEW&C aircraft as part of any US arms package tied to a peace accord with Syria. The Asia-Pacific economic recovery has rekindled hopes that South Korea will restart its stalled AEW procurement. The country had shortlisted the 767 AWACS and Ravtheon/Elta A310 AEW&C, but Adams is hopeful the 737 AEW&C will be included in any new competi tion. "We think the 737 will be included and we hope the 767 is still in the competition," he says. Despite the launch of the 737 AEW&C, work continues on the AWACS family. The radar system improvement programme (RSIP), now under way, is increasing detection range and accuracy, and allowing the APY-2 to see smaller and slower targets. Electronic counter- countermeasures and operator man/machine interface, as well as reliability and maintainabil ity are also being improved. During the Kosovo conflict, Adams says, the upgraded AWACS beat its specification, which was to see the same size target at twice the range. At the same range, the RSIP AWACS can see targets which are 10 times smaller, he says. Range, azimuth and altitude accuracy has been doubled and range resolution increased by a fac tor of six, enabling the AWACS to separate multi-aircraft raids into individual targets. By the end of last year, all NATO E-3 Sentry AWACS had undergone the RSIP upgrade. The US Air Force has begun upgrading its E-3s and plans to accelerate the programme, while all the UK Royal Air Force's Sentries are to be upgraded by March next year. "We are ready to get France, Saudi Arabia and Japan under con tract," says Adams. Northrop Grumman says the AWACS will be flying for several more decades, perhaps aug mented by 737 AEW&Cs and new platforms such as the company's Global I lawk unmanned air vehicle and space-based radars. The compa ny also sees potential new applications for its active-array radar technology, including the upgrade and eventual replacement of its own long-running AEW platform, the I lawkeye. 3 I Having won in Australia, Northrop Gruniman's Adams believes a victory for the 131 AEW&C in Turkey would "open up Israel as the next target" FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 15 - 21 February 2000 ©
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