Raytheon today unveils a new member of its family of active electronically scanned array (AESA) radars.
The Raytheon Advanced Combat Radar (RACR) is designed to take advantage of the latest packaging and thermal management technologies. The company sees it as a prime contender for the retrofit market, but potentially also as original equipment and can be scaled to fit several different types.
“It’s specifically designed to fit in multiple aircraft,” says Wes Motooka, vice-president, International Strategy and Business Development, Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems. “It will work with the Block 30/40/50 F-16 and early models of the Super Hornet as well as legacy aircraft.” Several European aircraft, such as the Saab Gripen, are also potential homes for the new radar.
 |
|---|
RACR has matured out of Raytheon’s previous RANGR and has 80-85% commonality with the earlier model, which has now been superseded. The AESA radar currently in the F-15E is “loosely a RACR with a bigger antenna”, says Motooka.
“RACR will work within the existing constraints of power, physical space and heat – which is a really big deal because it eliminates the costs that would otherwise be incurred by having to make changes to the aircraft.”
Raytheon reports “tremendous interest” in RACR in both the domestic and export market. It sees RACR as an important technological bridge between existing fighter inventories and new types over the next 10-15 years, allowing the two generations to inter-operate effectively.
* Raytheon has delivered its 100th APG-79 AESA radar to the US Navy, demonstrating its transition to full-rate production. The radar is being retrofitted to older-model F/A-18E/F Super Hornets and EA-18E/F Growler electronic attack aircraft.
Raytheon reports feedback from pilots in the first deployed squadron, VFA-22 on board the USS Ronald Reagan as “extremely positive”, especially in reliability. The company is under contract to deliver 437 APG-79s to the US Navy.
Source: Flight International
