BAE Systems Avionics has launched its first airborne active electronically scanned array (AESA)radar for helicopters, the Seaspray 7000E. Although developed for maritime helicopters, the radar is also suitable for unmanned air vehicles (UAV) and small maritime patrol aircraft, says the company.
Seaspray 7000E uses BAE Avionics Systems and Sensors Division-developed AESA transmit-receive modules (TRM), which are used to build up the AESA. The Edinburgh-based business has also transferred all Seaspray radar processing into software compatible with an open architecture off-the-shelf processor.
The scanner is a rotating array of multiple TRMs - the radar scans electronically in elevation and mechanically and electronically in azimuth.
The AESA-equipped radar is multimode, has a "much smaller" mass and volume and simpler installation than an equivalent mechanically scanned radar, says the company.
Seaspray 7000E is designed for air, land and sea surveillance and provides small target and long-range detection, target classification, using high-resolution range profiling and an inverse synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) capability, says BAE.
Weather, navigation and multiple target track-while-scan modes are also available while BAE is offering high-resolution SAR ground mapping, ground moving target indication, air-to-air, electronic support measures integration with high-accuracy angle of arrival information and identification friend or foe integration as optional modes.
Source: Flight International
