A question for the SARboys
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Join Date: May 2002
Location: Shrewsbury, England.
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A question for the SARboys
I understand that most SAR aircraft are fitted with a search radar and this would be primarily used over the sea. What are its capabilities over land?
The RN SARs have Sea Searcher. Name speaks for itself. Designed to fulfil the ASW role and fully meets its spec. Bought as part of the HAS Mk2 > Mk5 conversion and later modified to integrate with the new Mk6 Integrated Sonics.
Its predecessor was Lightweight Radar – again intended for ASW. Bought for HAS Mk1 and 2. The RAF fitted this to their Mk3s and inherited all the surplus RN kit when Sea Searcher was introduced.
RAF Mk3As were intended to get Super Searcher, but penny pinching meant they retained the old low power LWR Tx/Rx and Scanner, and got the Super Searcher Processor and Display. Hence, as the joke (in the Risk Register) went, the resultant hybrid has a lovely clean, colour display, but no targets at required ranges.
You can tell which aircraft has what by the dorsal radome. Sea Searcher has the big flat top, LWR the little pointy one. Latter has 28 degree blind arc, the former 14 (approx). As to why the RAF chose to fit a new aircraft with a hybrid which didn’t meet the spec, when it would have been cheaper to meet it, is anyone’s guess. PE, MEL and Westland thought they were barking. Excellent radars in their day though.
Its predecessor was Lightweight Radar – again intended for ASW. Bought for HAS Mk1 and 2. The RAF fitted this to their Mk3s and inherited all the surplus RN kit when Sea Searcher was introduced.
RAF Mk3As were intended to get Super Searcher, but penny pinching meant they retained the old low power LWR Tx/Rx and Scanner, and got the Super Searcher Processor and Display. Hence, as the joke (in the Risk Register) went, the resultant hybrid has a lovely clean, colour display, but no targets at required ranges.
You can tell which aircraft has what by the dorsal radome. Sea Searcher has the big flat top, LWR the little pointy one. Latter has 28 degree blind arc, the former 14 (approx). As to why the RAF chose to fit a new aircraft with a hybrid which didn’t meet the spec, when it would have been cheaper to meet it, is anyone’s guess. PE, MEL and Westland thought they were barking. Excellent radars in their day though.
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Sea Searcher and Sea Spray have limited use over land if any at all. Seaspray can be used to locate towns and airfields (you can see Hangars and buildings) but thats just about it really. Better to use the PID when conducting over land searches.
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Although rumour has it that a bright spark at the MoD has worked out a better arrangement. They're buying surplus kit and radomes from mothballed USN E-3 Hawkeyes and fitting them to the top of the SAR whirlybirds in place of that noisy thing that goes round and round and keeps costing money...
