3/16/2023 0 Comments Net radar antenna![]() ![]() Much is open to interpretation so I am happy to receive corrections and additional information from reputable sources. The order is meaningful, but certainly not definitive: adhering to the top 10 format always requires a simplification. Radar performance is an extremely sensitive subject with security implications, so most of the important data is classified- but a broad understanding of capabilities can be described from open sources. However- neither the new Gripen E/F, Typhoon or PAK FA radar have entered service so do not make this list. This issue will be addressed in the new hybrid tilting radars for the Typhoon and Gripen E/F which are AESAs mounted on tiltable plates. Russia’s PAK FA will also address the ‘field of regard’ issue with cheek-mounted arrays (additional to the AESA in the nose). One of the limitations of AESA in the fighter role is that the signal is weaker at extreme fields of regard – a AESA can only see well at up to 60 degrees to the side. The first frontline fighter to carry an AESA was the Mitsubishi F-2, though the Raytheon APG-63(V)2 for the US’ F-15C beat the type into full operational service in 2000. The active electronically scanned array (AESA) also uses multiple modules but each can send a different radio signal (different in frequency or direction) allowing a greater degree of versatility, and making the radar harder to jam. The first PESA fighter radar was carried by the MiG-31, which entered service in 1981. The PESA is relatively simple to create, but not as versatile as the AESA. The passive electronically scanning array radar (PESA) have a single radio source that sends energy to multiple receive/transmit modules. The latter can be divided into three categories: passive scanning, active scanning and ‘hybrid tilters’. There are two types of fighter radar, mechanical- and electronically scanning. That aircraft like the Rafale and Super Hornet are equally adept at the air superiority and ground attack missions has a great deal to do with the extreme versatility of the contemporary radar, which can simultaneously scan the air for fighters as it looks for ground targets. In the future AESAs will even be able to ‘fry’ enemy radars by overloading them with radio energy. As well as detection, modern sets can be used to jam, communicate and collect information about enemy sensors and communications. Up until the 1980s operating a radar effectively required a great degree of skill today’s digital radars are simple to use, long-ranged and harder to jam than ever. ![]() To learn more or for a free system assessment, contact us.The primary sensor of the modern fighter remains the radar. The systems share a time synchronization unit, represented in the figure above by the clock in the back-end part of the diagram. The signal processor, data processor, and related systems are known as the “back-end” (shown in the figure above as the blue box on the right) and are involved in processing of data and system command and control. The front-end is responsible for actually sending and receiving the electromagnetic waves used in forming spatial observations (e.g., weather monitoring, object detection and tracking). The REX, antenna, and related systems are known as the radar “front-end,” (shown in the figure above as the green box on the left). Data capture units may also be present to capture live, pre-processed data from the receiver and to capture processed data from the signal processor. The data processor is also responsible for system communications and displaying information. The data processor also instructs the antenna to be steered electrically or physically via the beam steering module. The signal to transmit is fed into a REX from the data processor and the returns are processed by the signal processor. REX (standing for Receiver/EXciter) units interface with the antenna such that they transmit electromagnetic radiation via their exciters and receive partial reflections of this transmitted radiation via their receivers. A diagram of a typical radar system is shown in the figure above. Radar systems are made up of one or more transmitting elements, transmitting these electromagnetic waves through some area. Applications for radar systems include defense-related surveillance and tracking systems, aircraft proximity detectors, weather prediction, and astronomical study. The radar system then uses information from these reflections to determine object characteristics such as location, shape, and velocity. These systems transmit high-powered electromagnetic waves and collect reflections of these waves from objects that can be reached by the transmitted waves. Radar is a group of technologies comprising many implementations of object detection and tracking systems using radio waves. ![]()
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