Raytheon Flies AESA Retrofit Radar In F-16

An international customer could order the first active, electronically scanned array (AESA) radar upgrade for the Lockheed Martin F-16 in 2011, moving ahead of the still-undecided U.S. Air Force, Raytheon says.

The company has completed flight trials of its Raytheon Advanced Combat Radar (RACR) in a U.S. Air Force F-16D Block 50 at Edwards AFB, Calif. The six flights were conducted in July, but have just been announced.

Northrop Grumman flew its competing Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR) on an F-16 at Edwards in January, in support of a U.S. Air Force AESA feasibility study.

The July flights were the first time RACR had flown in any platform, says Ken Murphy, Raytheon business development manager. Northrop’s SABR previously had flown on the company’s Sabreliner testbed.

Murphy says the RACR went from concept to flight on the F-16 in 24 months because it is 90% common with the APG-79 AESA on the F/A-18E/F and the APG-82 being installed on the F-15E.

The Edwards flights demonstrated air-to-air and air-to-ground modes including high-resolution synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) imaging with ground moving-target indication overlay, he says. Air combat modes were demonstrated and the radar integrated with the F-16’s joint helmet-mounted cuing system.

Efforts to sell AESA upgrades to F-16 operators are picking up pace. “I think next year will be the turning point when international customers move ahead of the U.S. Air Force,” Murphy says.

USAF is looking at extending the service life of its F-16s because of delays to the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, but has yet to decide whether to fund an avionics upgrade, he says.

Meanwhile, the companies have provided the U.S. government with pricing data requested by two countries that operate large F-16 fleets. “A couple of countries are seeking budgets [for upgrades],” Murphy says.

RACR deliveries could begin 36 months after contract award, paced by the development of radar modes required by the customer, Murphy says, adding that node development and testing would fit within the three-year timescale of the Common Configuration Implementation Program upgrade for the F-16C/D.

Cost of the RACR retrofit is comparable to that of upgrading the F-16C/D’s Northrop APG-68 mechanically scanned radar to the SAR-capable (V)9 standard, but the AESA offers a tenfold increase in reliability, Murphy says.

Raytheon, Northrop Grumman take opposite paths on F-16 AESA sales

By Stephen Trimble

As rivals in a race to open an international market for retrofitting active electronically scanned array (AESA) radars on Lockheed Martin F-16s, Raytheon and Northrop Grumman are looking for customers in opposite locations.

The first customer for the Raytheon Advanced Combat Radar (RACR), which shares 90 percent commonality with the APG-79 AESA aboard the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, may come from abroad, says Ken Murphy, a member of Raytheon's capture team.

"The international side realises they need to get out in from of the US [Air Force]," Murphy says. "We're hoping to see a [request for proposals] next year."

Murphy declined to cite specific countries, but Raytheon is known to have received export licenses to market RACR to Greece and South Korea.

Northrop Grumman, meanwhile, has predicted the US Air Force could move first.

Last month, Dave Wallace, Northrop's manager for F-16 sensor programme development, said a USAF decision to launch an AESA-retrofit programme is "right on the edge of their tongue".

Northrop offers the Scaleable Agile Beam Radar (SABR), which is derived from the APG-81 on the Lockheed F-35 and APG-80 on the F-16 Block 60.

Both companies have now integrated their AESA candidates on an F-16.

Most recently, Raytheon completed six flights with the RACR installed on a USAF F-16. Murphy acknowledges the RACR schedule was accelerated for a demonstration programme. Raytheon skipped the traditional step of installing the radar on a testbed aircraft, as Northrop tested SABR on a company-owned business jet.

But, Murphy explains, RACR could be integrated quickly because of its commonality with the APG-79 and Raytheon's experience with retrofitting an AESA on F/A-18E/Fs.

In only six flights, Raytheon tested several modes on RACR, including aerial search and track, synthetic aperture radar and ground moving target indicator. The flights also showed that RACR could be integrated into the F-16's joint helmet mounted cueing system, allowing the pilot to cue the sensor with a head turn.

Murphy noted that such a system would prove ideal in a combat scenario on the Korean peninsula as a counter-artillery system.

"The capability that RACR brings would definitely help," he says. "Any type of AESA would be greatly needed and the capability it brings would be significant."

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.