Final AESA-equipped F-15 aircraft delivered to US Air Force

The US Air Force has received the final three of 18 F-15C aircraft refitted with Raytheon's APG-63(v)2 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar.

The Boeing Phantom Works unit led a team that received a $250 million contract to install the AESA radar, upgrade the aircraft's environmental control systems and install an advanced identification friend or foe system. Honeywell Aerospace and BAE Systems, respectively, provided the latter systems.

"The AESA radar allows the pilot to detect, track and destroy multiple enemy aircraft at significantly longer ranges," said Chris Finnerty, Phantom Works F-15 AESA programme manager. "This has been a very successful effort in fielding the latest in advanced radar technology."

In an AESA system, the traditional mechanically scanning radar dish is replaced by a stationary panel covered with an array of hundreds of small transmitter-receiver modules. Unlike a radar dish, these modules have more combined power and can perform different detection, tracking, communication and jamming functions in multiple directions simultaneously. An AESA offers greater precision to detect, track and eliminate multiple threats more quickly and effectively than traditional radar.

Because the AESA eliminates the hydraulic and electrical systems associated with mechanically operated radars, its reliability and maintainability are improved.

In addition to the F-15C AESA, Raytheon is developing AESAs for the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet Boeing builds for the US Navy, and the Joint Strike Fighter Boeing will build if it wins the competition for that program.

-- Defence Systems Daily


[This message has been edited by Nikita (edited 21-12-2000).]

Finally they made it to MiG-31

Now all they have to do is make it capable of carrying Phoenix plus another 5-10 breakthroughs and F-15 will turn into Foxhound!

Keywords are "active" and "weight".

Is "Zaslon-M" an APAR?

Man, I have no clue what that abbreviation stands for, so for good reference on MiG-31M and its radar just go here and find out: http://members.nbci.com/_XMCM/HiAndrei1/mikoyan/pages/mig31mtext.htm

Nikita>>>
- "Weight" - well, in US everything is done at the expense of weight. For instance F-16 from jumpy fellow turned into old fat woman by growing additional 2300kg. Don't believe me? Here's some info from AirInternational:
YF-16 - 6361kg which is 11% heavier than F-8C Crusader and 50% heavier than Mikoyan MiG-21PF. However it was still 45% lighter than F-15.
Later Beefy Yank literally turned into Beefy Monstrosity with 8666kg of empty weight! I refer to F-16C Block 50 by the way.

French, on the other hand, have never designed like nuckleheads. Mirage2000C differs from Mirage2000D only by 100kg (7500kg for M2000C and 7600kg for M2000D)

MiG-31M grew 1000kg in weight I believe but it's really worth it considering all of the improvements done.

So you were right about weight (as long as this is what you ment however I see no indication of weight in the article)


- Active - MiG-31 doesn't have active scanned array does it? How much of a difference does it make? I really don't know what is better here and by what margin.

'Man, I have no clue what that abbreviation stands for' - Oh, sorry: active phased array radar. Thanks for the link They don't specify, but anyway, really, what difference does it make? RCS = 5 sq.m. target detection at 360 km... APG-71? APG-63(v)2? APG-77?.. He-he-he... (well, on the other hand, it's 1.4 m in diameter)

>Is "Zaslon-M" an APAR ?

Not.

---

>- "Weight" - well, in US everything is done
>at the expense of weight.

Ugu, and aircrafts of other nations are done at the expense of "saint spirit". Nyu-nyu...

>For instance F-16 from jumpy fellow turned
>into old fat woman by growing additional 2300kg.

And what ? It was better you explain the history of weight of MiG-31.

>YF-16 - 6361kg which is 11% heavier than F-8C Crusader

Wow, it's cool, except some little thing, F-8С was 7450 kg empty. And special for you education: empty weights of "Crusader" modifications.

F-8A - 7010 kg
F-8C - 7450 kg
F-8D - 7930 kg
F-8E - 8060 kg

I advise you to read more serious sources, for this theme you may to start from "United States Navy Aircraft Since 1911" by Gordon Swanborough and Peter M. Bowers.

>and 50% heavier than Mikoyan MiG-21PF.

You missed again. MiG-21PF empty weight was about 5150 kg.

>Later Beefy Yank literally turned into
>Beefy Monstrosity with 8666kg of empty
>weight! I refer to F-16C Block 50 by the way.

Block 50 was 8240 kg empty weight.

>(as long as this is what you ment however I
>see no indication of weight in the article)

I mean what APAR was installed on fighter with combat weight about 20 tonn.

>- Active - MiG-31 doesn't have active
>scanned array does it?

"Zaslon" is passive.

>How much of a difference does it make?

He-he..., some developers of passive PAR in advertising articles in "Military Parade" claims what algorithms of electronic scanning are greatly important than type of phazed array, but almost all perspective radars are APAR.

---

>RCS = 5 sq.m. target detection at 360 km...

AFAIK 360 km detection range is for big targets.

>APG-71? APG-63(v)2? APG-77 ?

He-he... AN/APY-2, AN/APS-145 is better suitable for this "round-up"

But if be seriuos... Do you have data about AN/APG-63(v)2 ?

[This message has been edited by Nikita (edited 29-12-2000).]

> AFAIK 360 km detection range is for big targets

At the moment no one can say for sure. "Aviation and Aeronautics" #8.99, page 40: "…RP-31 N007 "Zaslon", capable of detecting "fighter"-type airborne targets (RCS of the order of 5 sq. m.) at up to 180 km (tracking range 120 km). On the modified MiG-31DM airborne targets detection range is increased to 320 km…" Pretty ambiguous, but given the recent advances in electronics, I'd be surprised if "Zaslon-M" would turn out to be incapable of detecting a fighter at least at 300 km.

> AN/APY-2, AN/APS-145 is better suitable for this "round-up"

He-he, not funny

> Do you have data about AN/APG-63(v)2 ?

No. Someone at www.flanker2.com said "it detects targets at 420 km", but what targets and where this data came from, he chose not to specify. What's F-15's radome diameter, BTW? Or what's APG-63(v)2 antenna diameter, if you happen to know?

>Pretty ambiguous, but given the recent advances in electronics,

"Zaslon-M" dated by 1985 year.

>Or what's APG-63(v)2 antenna diameter, if you happen to know?

You can calculate this thing by photo placed above.

1985 isn't old at all. It's infact pretty new. also, don't forget that every new year designers make improvements. No two Topol-M missiles are alike. Designers work on precision and superiority day and night.

About weight statistics I think you're wrong but I would prefer not to argue.

>1985 isn't old at all. It's infact pretty
>new. also, don't forget that every new year
>designers make improvements.

May be, but IMHO improvements are not significant in this situation.

>No two Topol-M missiles are alike.
>Designers work on precision and superiority day and night.

Almost each piece of one type of equipment is not same. But in most cases this changes are "cosmetic".

>About weight statistics I think you're
>wrong but I would prefer not to argue.

What ??? "Think" ??? Reading is a better choice in your case, than "thinking".

[This message has been edited by Nikita (edited 29-12-2000).]