Germany’s DLR aerospace research centre has completed the first flight of an Airbus A320 adapted to conduct airborne testing of an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar for Eurofighter operator nations Germany and Spain.
Conducted from the DLR’s Braunschweig site on 21 January, the sortie involved its A320 advanced technology research aircraft (ATRA), which has been equipped with a Eurofighter nose section.
Airbus says the integration activity required its engineers to design “a complete new front section” to accommodate the radome and sensor, along with making structural reinforcements to the narrowbody’s airframe.
“The teams will, in a next step, also install extensive test equipment in the A320 ATRA cabin, including a customised Eurofighter avionic test rig and supporting cooling and power infrastructure,” Airbus Defence & Space says.
Flight-testing will begin later this year using the ECRS Mk1 AESA, which will be integrated with new-build Eurofighters on order for Berlin and Madrid, and also introduced via retrofit work as a replacement for the type’s original mechanically-scanned Captor radar.
“We are operating the aircraft in close collaboration with the DLR and the German armed forces to test a new radar for the Eurofighter and bring it to maturity,” says Airbus Defence & Space E-Scan radar project manager Thomas Hirsch.
“The A320 ATRA has a significantly shorter clearance process and can stay in the air longer than a Eurofighter,” he notes. “This means that the testing time in a real-life environment is considerably earlier, quicker and with a longer duration. These aspects significantly speed up the radar development process.”
The ECRS Mk1 sensor will be installed on 38 German Eurofighters via the nation’s Quadriga acquisition, along with 20 for Spain through its Halcon I procurement. The nations also are to acquire a combined 45 additional examples of the combat aircraft through follow-on orders.
Berlin in late 2023 indicated that the new AESA radar would also be installed across its fleet of already in-service Eurofighters.
Aircraft integration activities for the partner nations will be led by Airbus Defence & Space, with radar work being respectively headed by Euroradar consortium companies Hensoldt (Germany) and Indra (Spain).
In addition to the forthcoming work with the A320 ATRA platform, Spain in December 2024 performed the first flight of a Eurofighter test aircraft carrying the ECRS Mk1.
Airbus notes that the AESA radar update will “improve the Eurofighter’s capabilities in air-to-air and air-to-ground operations and also equip it with electronic warfare functions”.
Separately, fellow Eurofighter partner the UK is advancing work on a Leonardo UK-led ECRS Mk2 radar, with a prototype having been flown on the fighter from BAE Systems’ Warton site in Lancashire last September. The sensor will be installed on Tranche 3 production aircraft for the Royal Air Force, with the combination due to enter operational use by 2030.
