Typhoon to get AESA radar

[Rhino power]

Looks like a few significant enhancements for the Phoon is on the cards...

FARNBOROUGH: Eurofighter confirms enhancement programme (http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/farnborough-eurofighter-confirms-enhancement-programme-374072/)

-RP

[Alexander.Yakovlev]

The new radar is an incredible piece of kit. Been in the pipeline for some time, very good to see it finally confirmed.

[Milo Minderbinder]

Can these new goodies be retrofitted? Or is it an excuse to sell new batch of airframes?

[Geehovah]

Good news. I hope the final fit isn't whittled away.

[Sun Who]

The new radar is an incredible piece of kit. Been in the pipeline for some time, very good to see it finally confirmed.

It's an incredible piece of kit because it hasn't been built yet.

There have been a number of 'developmental activities' but there is no radar to buy yet. Development of the radar will be done under the auspices of NETMA.

It remains to be seen how it good it will be, especially compared to existing systems such as AN/APG-77 or AN/APG-81, which could be bought 'off the shelf'.

Sun.

[Geehovah]

quelle surprise - the pointy whizzy things get money for upgrades to overcome some theoretical high tech foe while other areas of 'air power' limp along against low tech enemies. It'll all change when the first non-pointy gets to CAS I'll tell yee - if they are allowed that far http://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/src:www.pprune.org/get/images/smilies/smile.gif Still, will no doubt help export sales to countries who can afford to run them (unlike us) - BWoS need to do something to boost sales now the old methods aren't allowed. I think that argument has waned as the fast jet force has been whittled away. Hopefully we won't get to the stage where all the RAF does is provide AT and helo support. To run an air campaign we still need fast jets, particularly AD in the early stages and ground attack as the campaign progesses. We won't always enjoy air superiority if we carry on in an interventionist posture.

[Rigga]

Is this upgrade to show the Indians what they could be missing?

[Geehovah]

Fraid not Rigga I think they already have one

[Sun Who]

Seems a little harsh as it has been flown for quite some time on the test bed and was first flown on a Typhoon back in 2007.

Bright Adder is not intended to be an operational system - it's a TDP. It's resemblance to any purchased system remains to be seen.

What it can and cannot do is well known to the community.

True, and opinions vary. Those who have seen APG77/81 are less impressed.

Sun.

[Willard Whyte]

Can these new goodies be retrofitted?Yes and no.

Or rather no and yes, if one is talking, respectively, about Tranche 1 and Tranche 2/3 aircraft. So I'm led to believe.


http://i.ytimg.com/vi/V31Jrq7VGk8/0.jpg

Looks a bit 'draggy'.

[Rhino power]

As I understand it, Tranche 1 aircraft have a different forward bulkhead which precludes the fitting of the AESA radar, although I believe there has been a mod designed to allow fitment, standing by to be corrected...

-RP

[Willard Whyte]

...thought it was something to do with black boxes aft of the bulkhead...

[Rhino power]

The black boxes may also be an issue but, I have definitely read somewhere that the bulkhead (strength?) was the main factor, I'm sure Jackonicko has mentioned it previously, may have been on another forum though...

As before, more than happy to be corrected... :ok:

-RP

[kbrockman]

Any possibility of this actually happening or are they trying to wiggle in the Spanish developped TVC?
Executive Calls for Typhoon Upgrade After Radar Announcement – DefenseNews.com - Breaking Defense News (http://blogs.defensenews.com/farnborough/2012/07/10/executive-calls-for-typhoon-upgrade-after-radar-announcement/)
Moves to add the active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar to the Eurofighter have prompted fresh calls from industry to upgrade the aircraft’s nozzles to add maneuverability.

The NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency issued a request for proposals for an AESA radar for the Eurofighter on the eve of the Farnborough International Airshow.

That in turn has prompted an official at a member company of the consortium that builds the Typhoon aircraft’s engine to suggest partners take a fresh look at introducing thrust vectoring nozzles at the rear of the aircraft.

The nozzles, which change position, can improve thrust and direct thrust, granting greater maneuverability to the aircraft.

The two upgrades are linked, said the official, Salvatore Miglietta, head of military programs at Italian propulsion firm Avio, which is part of the Eurojet consortium that builds the EJ2000 engine for the Eurofighter.

“Placing an [AESA] radar in the nose of the aircraft will add weight to the front of the aircraft,” he said. “The center of gravity of the aircraft moves forward and to counterbalance this you can either put dead weight further back, or a clever weight.”

The need for weight at the rear of the aircraft represents an opportunity to install tilting nozzles that produce vectored thrust, he added.

Eurojet has already developed a thrust vectoring nozzle (TVN) that it argues would add maneuverability to enhance the aircraft’s air-to-ground credentials, increasing thrust, decreasing fuel consumption, reducing take-off distance, reducing landing speed and improving roll rate.

“Thrust vectoring would allow the aircraft to get closer to targets and maneuver faster,” said Miglietta, who added that thrust vectoring helps prolong engine life.

The Eurojet consortium comprises Italy’s Avio, Germany’s MTU, Spain’s ITP and the UK’s Roll-Royce.

PFsmixykLxY

[Fatnfast]

The proposed ESA radar for the UK is different to the one in the photographs. Very trick looking. Fitting this will require strengthening of the forward bulkhead due to the weight of the T/R cells that make up the front end of the radar. I`m not sure if the early jets can be modified to take it.

I remember seeing an EJ with a working vectoring nozzle on the Rolls Royce stand at Farnborough a few years ago. This was supposed to be fitted to the tranche 3 jets now in production.

[Gravelbelly]

It remains to be seen how it good it will be, especially compared to existing systems such as AN/APG-77 or AN/APG-81, which could be bought 'off the shelf'.

Good luck buying an APG-77 - it's a 1990s design running 90s/00s hardware, the F-22 production line is done, the last radar will have been completed a couple of years back, and the F-22 Common Integrated Processor (http://www.raytheon.com/capabilities/products/f22_cip/) means you would have to build a whole new set of computers to run the software (unless you've got a lifetime buy of Intel i960 hidden away somewhere).

[Rigga]

Re: My earlier Post (No. 9) Flight International (and Call-me-Dave) seem to agree with me that triphoon needs a big injection to get the sales going...?

I'm reading a hard copy - so no link.