Courtney,
I believe that when discussing any modern fighter radar it is important to discuss the weapons system. In most TWS radars the Tracker is as important as the radar. In the Tornado F3 targets were tracked automatically. The tracker had the capability to track up to 30 tracks at one time and promote or demote the tracks in a data base dependent on pre-set criteria. Due to the Fox Hunter being High PRF it’s detection capability was quite good but presentation to the crew was poor. Initially, due to a poor tracker the radar was not able to support TWS on very long range or highly manoeuvring targets. Later improvements in the Stage2 overcame most of these deficiencies.
The introduction of Link16 to the F3 made a significant difference to the weapons system performance. Each fighter was able to see tracks provided by any co-operator. Again, the comprehensive tracker enabled good track correlation. The F3 was also configured to continuously view the Surveillance Picture provide by an E3 or Link16 equipped surface vessel. The F3 WSO was able to use filters to allow a usable picture to be displayed. Radar and Link tracks could be displayed on both the Radar Display and the Tac Display. Both displays had easy to use BullsEye information in either True or Magnetic. The Tac Display could be viewed either North Up or Track Up depending on requirement. By the time the aircraft was axed by the MOD it’s weapons system, and weapons, were among the very best in the world. A shame about the platform!
Aircraft more modern than the F3 use other sensors such as IRST to support tracks in the weapons system. How well these different sensors interact and how well the sensor fusion works is the heart of a modern weapons system. There will always be a debate whether the system should be fully automated or how much manual intervention should be allowed/required.