SELEX Prototyping A New AESA Radar for the UK

RAF Eurofighter(click to view full) In February 2009, SELEX Galileo announced a GBP 19 million contract from the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) to develop and produce an initial Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) Radar prototype. After rigorous ground and compact antenna test range testing, the radar is planned to fly on a Royal Air Force Typhoon aircraft in the UK. With the EUR 9 billion multinational Tranche 3A purchase, total orders for the Eurofighter reached 559 machines. Even if Tranche 3B never materializes and exports stall, those fighters represent a large investment that will attract upgrades over their lifetimes. Once of the most important upgrades involves replacing the Euroradar consortium’s ECR-90 mechanically-scanned array with a modern AESA radar that offers better resolution, multitasking, upgradeability, and reliability. Euroradar’s CAESAR AESA has already participated in flight trials on the Typhoon, but the UK MoD seems to have something else in mind… The UK’s AESA TDP ES-05 Raven AESA(click to view full) This Technology Demonstrator Programme (TDP) is aimed beyond the Typhoon to include “future UK platforms,” and the ministry also wants a radar with “offering a wide field of vision and enhanced performance levels” compared to conventional AESA radars in fighters. […]