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UK Ministry of Defence | Feb 12, 2009
Defence Talk

The RAF’s fifth and final Sentinel R1 ASTOR (Airborne Stand-Off Radar) aircraft has recently returned from successful trials in Afghanistan where it was used to gather information about enemy activity.

The Sentinel, which has been converted from Bombardier Global Express business jets, with its ASTOR system can detect and recognise moving, static and fixed targets on the ground and in the air, and are capable of operating for more than nine hours at a time. The information gathered is transmitted to ground stations to enable rapid tactical planning and the efficient cueing of assets.

Today, Tuesday 10 February 2009, Minister for Defence Equipment and Support Quentin Davies visited the equipment at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire, the RAF’s Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) hub, and also home of the E3D Sentry and Nimrod R1 aircraft and 5 (Army Co-operation) [AC] Squadron who own the Sentinel R1 aircraft. Mr Davies said:

“This hugely sophisticated system has already demonstrated what it can do to support operations in Afghanistan. In a trial of the system last year, the Sentinel aircraft and its associated ground stations proved they can feed information about the movements of enemy forces to ground commanders in near real time.”

“The ASTOR system enables our forces to learn about the movement of enemy forces and react to prevent threats to our troops. It is clear to me that we are spending nearly one billion pounds of taxpayers’ money very effectively.”

5 (AC) Squadron is a rare mix of Army and RAF servicemen, and a handful of Royal Navy personnel.

Group Captain Harry Kemsley, Officer Commanding 5 (AC) Squadron, said:

“This system is about answering the questions that the customer on the ground needs answering - getting the information soldiers need to the soldiers. The ability to look beyond the range of the eye, binoculars and rifle sight is now available with our system. We are here to support land forces and we shall do it very well.

“5 (AC) Squadron personnel and supporting elements continue to build on the lessons identified from their recent operational experiences in order to further develop the capability of ASTOR. The utility of the system across both military and humanitarian spectrums is significant and wide-ranging, and we are working closely with potential customers to ensure that our training is relevant and targeted to their requirements.”

The new system will prove very useful to ground forces in Afghanistan. Major Will Tosh, Intelligence Corps Detachment Commander, said:

“The ASTOR system was closely embedded within 3 Commando Brigade during the trial and provided a near real time, wide area search capability on operations for the first time. It worked in unison with troops on the ground delivering timely intelligence and situational awareness to those on the front line. The brigade was very impressed and the flexibility of the system surprised them.”

The radar on RAF Sentinels works in all weathers, day and night, by looking down to the ground and ’staring’ at the target area from high level while the aircraft flies in a straight line. The radar transmits pulses and receives target information as it moves while building up a ‘picture’ of the target area.

State-of-the-art computers and software allow rapid processing of the information. Data is transmitted to mobile or static ground stations for immediate use by commanders on the ground. The equipment is so sophisticated it is able to produce a near photograph-quality image of the ground from radar readings.

ASTOR is also designed to communicate with a wide range of other systems and networks and is therefore at the heart of the UK’s Network Enabled Capability.

The fully operational ASTOR system comprises five Sentinel R1s flown by two aircrew and at least three radar operators.

In the culmination of the £954m contract, Raytheon Systems Ltd has now delivered the last in a batch of five aircraft to 5 (AC) Squadron. The contract also includes eight mobile ground stations. Raytheon will continue to deliver support services to the system over the next ten years.

MOD Defence Equipment and Support ASTOR team leader, Bill Chrispin, said:

“Delivery of the final aircraft is a huge milestone for us and for our contractor. Now our work will concentrate on achieving the full operational capability of the system at the earliest opportunity.”

Defense Update

The Turkish Air Force selected an Israeli industry team to provide strategic, combined airborne IMINT (Imagery Intelligence) systems under a $141 million program recently approved by the Governments’ arms procurement agency (SSM). Turkey also selected the Italian satellite manufacturer Telespazio as the preferred bidder for the Eur 250 million Göktürk electro optical satellite program. The satellite, to be launched within 3 years (by 2012) will carry a space camera built by the French company Alcatel, capable of delivering images at a resolution of 0.8 meters.

As part of the project, Telespazio will create a joint venture with a local partner in Turkey to develop and market commercial application services based on the new satellite.

The airborne IMINT system comprises two different systems, offering long range reconnaissance capability under all weather and visibility conditions, day and night. The systems comprises a long-range electro-optical imaging rece pod developed by Elbit Systems Ltd. (NASDAQ:ESLT) and a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) recce pod, provided by Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd (IAI) Elta Systems. Elta will also provide the ground processing and control center. Elbit System’s El-Op share of the program will be $87 million while IAI/Elta will get $54 million. Deliveries under the contract will be made over a four-year period.

Several years ago Turkey contracted Elbit Systems to supply the Condor 2 (LOROP) system, but has cancelled the order claiming the Israeli supplier failed to meet some of the requirements. While Turkey launched a new acquisition program, in which most of the world’s leading recce suppliers participated. At that time, The Condor further evolved, and was fielded by several countries, and is operated with F-16s in South Korea and Israel. A combined IMINT solution similar to the one selected by Turkey is believed to being developed for Indian Air Force Su-30MKIs. The recent selections re-established the Condor 2 as the favored system for the TUAF as well, augmented by the all-weather capability of Elta’s SAR pod. “The system is based on a well-developed and proven solution, which has already been chosen by several leading Air Forces and has recorded thousands of successful operational flight hours in severely demanding conditions.”

Israel has recently supplied Turkey with the initial two Heron UAVs. The drones are currently deployed at the Batman military base in Southeast Turkey where they are undergoing ground testing. Israel is expected to deliver the remaining 8 Herons in the upcoming months.

Under a separate program Turkey is also procuring two Gulfstream G550 business jets, to be used as airborne command posts. These aircraft will replace two GIVs being used as VIP aircraft since 1989. In the past 24 months Turkey evaluated several alternatives for the VIP/airborne C4 platform, including the Airbus A319 Corporate Jet. Turkey will take delivery of a G550 VIP plane in early 2009 and will receive the two Command and Control aircraft by 2011.

Air Force Technology

Dimensions:
Wingspan28.50m / Length29.39m / Height7.87m
Engines:Type2 × Rolls-Royce BR710C4-11 turbofan engines / Engine Power 68.4kN
Performance:Maximum Speed (Mmo) Mach 0.885 / Endurance: 9 hours at mission radius of 185km, altitude 12,500m
Range at Mach 0.8012,501km
Mission Systems:Mission Stations6 × multi-purpose operator stations
CAEW and Control System / EL/W-2085EL/W-2085 Radar1-2 GHz and 2- 4GHz
Satellite CommunicationsEL/K-1891Satcoms Frequency BandKu band, 12.5GHz-18GHz

The Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) conformal airborne early warning and control (CAEW) aircraft was first unveiled in public at the UK’s 2008 Farnborough Air Show. The prime contractor, system developer and system integrator for the CAEW is Elta Systems Ltd, a subsidiary of IAI.

The CAEW aircraft is based on the G550 airframe from Gulfstream Aerospace of the USA. The operationally proven G550 CAEW aircraft is the third generation of airborne early warning and control systems developed by IAI Elta since the mid-1980s.

Gulfstream was awarded a contract for four (plus two options) G550 modified aircraft in August 2003. First flight of the modified aircraft was in May 2006 and it was delivered to Elta for the installation of the mission systems in September 2006. The first and second CAEW aircraft were delivered to the Israel Air Force in February and May 2008 and since then have been in operational use.

The Singapore Air Force has also ordered a number of CAEW aircraft to be delivered during 2009 and 2010.

The CAEW provides improved performance in terms of higher operating altitude, longer range and increased time on station. The main AEW performance advantages result from the capability to point the radar beams in any direction in space at any time, with the beam’s parameters controlled by the radar computer.

CAEW airframe
The CAEW aircraft is based on the Gulfstream G550 airframe, which is an upgraded variant of the Gulfstream V-SP with improved aerodynamic performance. The aircraft is manufactured at the Gulfstream business jet production centre in Savannah, Georgia, USA and transferred to IAI Elta Systems Ltd in Ashdod, Israel.

Compared to the original G550, the CAEW redesigned aircraft has an increased zero-fuel weight, a modified structure, additional cabling, three (instead of one) power generators and a liquid cooling system to accommodate the mission equipment. One particular specification is the aircraft’s low drag aerodynamic profile.

IAI’s Bedek Aviation is contracted to provide the maintenance and logistic support for the Israeli CAEW aircraft.

Cockpit
The baseline G550 aircraft uses a Honeywell Primus Epic avionics suite and the two-man flight deck has a Gulfstream PlaneView cockpit. The CAEW flight deck provides the pilot with real-time 360°, three-dimensional AEW information.

Mission systems
The AEW system has six multi-purpose, Windows-based, operator stations with 24in colour monitors that are installed in the rear half of the main cabin. The forward section of the main cabin behind the cockpit accommodates the electronics.

The Elta AEW system provides rapid target acquisition and target information with total 360° coverage. Avoiding host aircraft obstruction is achieved by using the placement of a number of conformal antennae combined with dynamic beam allocation to the targets. The multiple conformal antennae provide the coverage without the need for a large mushroom-shaped radar system installed on comparable aircraft.

The aircraft is equipped with the Elta EL/W-2085 AEW system which includes a phased array airborne early warning radar, an identification friend or foe system, electronic support measures (ESM), electronic intelligence (ELINT) and communications intelligence (COMINT) systems.

The system is highly automated and uses advanced multi-sensor data fusion techniques to cross-correlate data generated by all four sensors - the radar, IFF, ESM / ELINT and CSM / COMINT. The data is combined with an automatically initiated active search by one sensor for specific targets that have been detected by other sensors.

The phased array airborne early warning radar, an active electronic steering array (AESA), operates in L and S bands (1GHz to 2GHz and 2GHz to 4GHz) and provides 360° azimuthal coverage. The system has high-accuracy three-dimensional tracking, low false-alarm rate, flexible and high target revisit time, electronic counter-countermeasures and programmable search and track modes of operation.

The modes of operation include track initiation, extended detection range mode with long dwell time, and target verification. When a target has been identified as a priority the radar switches to a high scan rate tracking mode with optimised beam to target characteristics.

The forward-facing hemisphere radar array and the weather radar are mounted in the nose radome. The lateral arrays are housed in conformal radomes along the sides of the forward fuselage. The radome located on the tailcone houses the aft facing hemispherical array.

The information friend or foe system uses the radar’s receive / transmit modules and antennae and provides target interrogation, decoding, target detection, location and target tracking.

The electronic support measures and electronic intelligence systems use multiple narrow and wideband receivers. The ESM / ELINT also provides the radar warning receiver function and supports the aircraft’s self-protection system. The antenna pods are mounted under the wingtips. An electronic support measures antenna is mounted in a fairing above the nose cone which houses the weather radar. The direction finding function uses differential time of arrival.

The automated communications intelligence system covers the high (HF) to very-high (VHF) frequency bands from 3MHz to 3GHz.

Communications

The aircraft’s communications suite provides network-centric operations capability and is interoperable with air force, navy and ground force assets and includes U/VHF, HF, satellite communications, voice over internet protocol (VoIP), secure voice, secure data link and intercom.

The aircraft is fitted with a robust jam-resistant full duplex EL/K-189 satellite communications and datalink. The satellite communications operates at Ku band, 12.5GHz to 18GHz. The satellite antenna dish and one planar array are housed in the vertical tail surface top fairing and another planar array is housed in a ventral blister radome. The antennae are dual axis stabilised with pointing capability. The carrier link can provide voice, data and compressed video.

The aircraft can be fitted with the data link specified by the customer country.

CAEW countermeasures

The aircraft is fitted with an integrated self protection suite with 360° radar warning receiver (RWR), missile approach warning system (MAWS), chaff and flare decoy dispensers and directed infrared countermeasures (DIRCM).

Engines

The aircraft is powered by two Rolls-Royce BR710C4-11 turbofan engines rated at 68.4kN and fitted with full authority digital engine control (FADEC). The engines are fitted at the rear of the fuselage. The integral wing tanks have a fuel capacity of 23,400l and the fuel system is equipped with an automatic fuel distribution system to accommodate the changing fuel load during flight.

The aircraft is equipped with a Hamilton Sundstrand electrical power generation system and the CAEW aircraft also has power generators mounted on the engines providing 240kW of power.

Gulfstream was responsible for the design and supply of the liquid cooling system to accommodate the high power consumption of the airborne electronics.

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Related Article
G550 CAEW Unveiled

Defense Update

According to Nissim Hadas, general manager of IAI’s Elta Systems, the prime contractor for the program, the new CAEW reflects the company’s advanced systems approach, based on vertically integrated system of systems, based on Elta-unique technologies and know-how developed in-house. The CAEW is a member of a family of new special mission aircraft, which also includes the AISIS airborne integrated SIGINT system and the MARS, an Airborne SAR platform. The first two are already operational with the Israel Air Force and the MARS is also part of the IAF’s long term strategy.

According to Avishai Izhakian, general manager of Elta’s AEW plant the conformal phased-array radar configuration utilized with the CAEW offers “the optimal configuration for high performance at the most affordable life cycle cost.” The aircraft can remain on station for nine hours at maximum altitude, operating at a range of about 100 nautical miles from its base. The aircraft is fitted with four AESA radar planes, two S band AESA systems are positioned in fore, aft while two sides looking L-band arrays are covering port and starboard, effectively covering 360 degrees.

According to Izhakian, the G550 AEW platform can fly higher than its competitors such as the Boeing 737 and Saab 340 or Emb145 (Erieye) platforms, furthermore, it can generate significantly more missions, since its maintenance and support procedures are shorter.

The CAEW represents the third generation of phased array airborne radar technology developed at Elta Systems. Elta entered the world of phased array radars in the 1980s, implementing the technology with the Green Pine ballistic missile warning radar (part of the Arrow ATBM system). The same technology packaged as ‘Phalcon’ AEW radar, was installed on a modified Boeing 707 dubbed ‘Condor’, developed for the Chilean air force, which became the first operator of full-size phased array AEW system. This aircraft became operational in the mid 1990s. Soon after, China ordered three similar Phalcon radars, with the radars configured on Russian Il-76 aircraft.

However, encountering fierce US objection to the deal, Israel decided to terminate the program, leaving IAI with unclear future about its AEW thrust. “Despite the significant impact of the termination of this work, we managed to keep our employees and maintain the knowledge base to be able to continue and develop a second and third generations of the phased-array AEW technology we pioneered in the 1990s. ” said Nissim Hadas. The results of this effort were realized few years later, with the signature of a contract to supply IL-76TD AEW aircraft to India, fitted with a 11 meter elevated radom, and G550 based third generation CAEW to the Israel Air Force. Both versions are being delivered this year (2008). The first two CAEW aircraft were delivered in February and May and the first Il76 is scheduled for delivery in September 08. The remaining aircraft will be supplied in 2009-2012. Earlier this year the Singaporean Ministry of Defense announced that the Singapore Air Force will also receive several CAEW aircraft in the upcoming months.

30-Sep-2008 15:42 EDT

Defense Industry Daily

The E-3 Sentry AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) aircraft is based on a Boeing 707 airframe. It is the world’s most widely used large-jet AWACS platform, in service with the USAF, Britain, France, NATO, and Saudi Arabia. Over the years, the world’s E-3 fleet has required improvements to keep its radars and electronics current with advances in technology.

Continue reading ‘France Upgrading Their E-3F AWACS’ »

by Ravi Sharma

The Hindu

Sunday, Apr 20, 2008

India to sign USD300 million deal for three advanced surveillance aircraft. AEW&CS programme may be operational in five years.
DRDO laboratories involved in it

Bangalore: With the question whether the Air Force is still serious about the Rs 1,800-crore indigenous Airborne Early Warning and Control System (AEW&CS) programme settled, India is to sign a deal with the Brazilian aerospace firm Embraer for three EMB 145 intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance aircraft.

The three aircraft together are expected to cost around $300 million.

Based on Embraer’s regional ERJ 145, the jets, which are one of the world’s most advanced and powerful remote sensing aircraft, will be used by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for its AEW&CS programme, serving as the ‘eye in the sky’ for the Air Force, detecting and intercepting enemy planes and missiles which are in flight, and far away.

The AEW&CS, working along with the three Phalcon Airborne Early Warning, Command and Control (AEWC&C) systems that the Air Force is acquiring from Israel, will become a force multiplier, filling gaps in the coverage provided by ground radars.

Defence Ministry sources told The Hindu that the contract would be signed later this month and aircraft delivery would begin in three years.

The DRDO expects that the AEW&CS programme will be operationalised in around five years

The AEW&CS programme involves using a flying platform and mounting sensors (radars) that look far and deep, providing C2BM (command and control, battle management) functions with data link for both tactical and defence forces.

While in the AEWC&C the lofted sensors transmit information to a ground-based command and control centre, in the larger and more expensive Airborne Warning and Control System like the AEWC&C, the sensors disseminate information to a command centre that is part of the flying platform.

Under the agreement, Embraer will not only supply the jets, which have several hours of endurance and in-flight refuelling, but also mount the radar on the EMB-145 fuselage, ensuring that changes in the aircraft’s technical specifications such as its aero dynamism and handling after mounting get recertified in the altered configuration. The Brazilians will also be responsible for the aircraft’s overall endurance with payload (radar) and a modification of the mounts that will receive the radar.

A number of DRDO laboratories are involved in the AEW&CS programme. The Defence Electronics Application Laboratory is involved with the primary sensors, communication systems and data link; the Defence Avionics Research Establishment with the self-protection systems, electronic warfare suites and communication support systems; and the Defence Electronics Research Laboratory with counter-support measures.

While the heart of the radar is from the Electronics and Radar Development Establishment, the responsibility for the overall integration of the systems, mission computer, display and data handling is that of the Bangalore-based Centre for Airborne Systems (CABS).

The CABS has tied up with the Hyderabad-based private firm Astra Microwave Products for development of trans-receiver multimodules.

The DRDO, which initiated talks with companies including Larsen and Toubro, Tata Power and Bharat Electronics with the idea of signing on a partner from the development stage itself for maintenance, upgrading and for taking care of obsolescence of the complicated radar system, has abandoned the idea. The hurdles: not being able to take manpower from outside the DRDO to work on the project, and the levels of commitment and materials.

Follow-up to ‘Airawat’

The AEW&CS programme is a follow-up to the Rs 60.80-crore ‘Project Guardian’ (later called ‘Airawat’), which ended in disaster in January 1999 after the HS-748 aircraft, on which the radar was mounted, crashed near Arakkonam in Tamil Nadu. All eight personnel on board, including four scientists who were critical to the project, were killed.

By vivek raghuvanshi
Published: 14 Apr 12:08 EDT (08:08 GMT)

Defense News

NEW DELHI - The Indian Air Force wants to buy unspecified numbers of Phalcon Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft from Israel in addition to the three already contracted in 2004 for $370 million each.

The air force request is near finalization at the Indian Ministry of Defence, sources said, but the price of the additional AWACS planes is still to be negotiated.

The deal already in place with Israel includes Israeli Phalcon radar mounted on three Russian Il-76 aircraft to be used as an AWACS by the Indian Air Force.

The Phalcon phased-array radar picks up a variety of signals from enemy aircraft operating up to 400 kilometers away, allowing the operator’s screen to be updated every two to 14 seconds.

The air force wants additional AWACS to become part of its Aerospace Command, under development by the Indian defense forces.

The first three Phalcon AWACS aircraft will be delivered to India in September. Once operational, the AWACS would be part of a larger strategic early-warning system, comprising ground-, sea-based and airborne radars and sensors - mounted on manned aircraft, balloons, unmanned aerial vehicles and possibly unmanned submarines - to track aircraft and missiles.

06-Apr-2008 16:20 EDT

Defense Industry Daily

Digitization and smaller electronics affect the battlefield in a number of ways. In the area of air defense, it has become possible to make small radars quite powerful, while also connecting them in networks that can provide a combined picture of a broader area. The result is a system that makes short-range assets like shoulder-fired antiaircraft missiles far more effective. If careful attention is paid to integration issues, these systems can serve singly as quickly-deployable initial protection for key sites, be combined to extend coverage over a local region, or serve as a form of local distributed backup to guide larger and more advanced missiles if higher-echelon radars are knocked out.

Their usefulness even extends beyond enemy forces. One of the toughest problems involved in coalition warfare is ensuring that simple misunderstandings or lack of a common picture doesn’t lead to “friendly fire” tragedies. A deployable local air control system can minimize those odds.

Britain’s Land Environment Air Picture Provision (LEAPP) program is GBP 100 million contract with Lockheed Martin UK INSYS designed to address these needs, and provide ground forces with a detailed local picture of activity in the air…

April 3/08: Saab announces a GBP 30 million (about $60 million) contract from Lockheed Martin UK INSYS for 5 Giraffe AMB radars, as part of the UK MoD’s LEAPP program. The contract is worth approximately GBP 30 million.

Saab’s Giraffe AMB is a truck-mounted 3-D “agile multiple beam” surveillance radar that is housed in a single 6 m/ 20 ft ISO container with splinter and NBC protection, mounted on a cross-country truck. Its name comes from the Agile Multi-Beam (AMB) 3-D radar that sits on an extensible “neck,” in order to give it broader surveillance coverage with a range of 20-40 km/ 12-24 miles. The system takes about 10 minutes to set up and activate, and 3 minutes for take-down. Setup can happen at leisure, after all, while take-down may involve enemy aircraft who are moving into anti-radiation missile range.

Unlike conventional 3D search radar that rely on elevation scanning technology, the GIRAFFE AMB covers a large elevation range simultaneously by using one wide beam for transmission and multiple digitally shaped narrow beams for reception. The radar also has uses beyond air surveillance, including emergency military air traffic control, and even coastal surveillance despite the innate “clutter” produced by the sea. If integrated with ARTHUR software, it adds the ability to track “ballistic weapons” like rockets, mortars, and artillery shells, and figure out both their point of impact and their point of origin.

April 2/08: Lockheed Martin UK-led Team Athena signs a GBP 100 million (about $200 million) contract with the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) for the Land Environment Air Picture Provision (LEAPP) program,. The contract award comes after a 2-year assessment phase, during which the Lockheed Martin team provided a version of LEAPP to the MoD as an Urgent Operational Requirement. The contract is expected to sustain up to 100 jobs in Ampthill, Bedfordshire and at other sites in the UK, and the LEAPP system is expected to enter service in 2012. Lockheed Martin UK release | UK MoD.

Team Athena is led by Lockheed Martin UK, and includes:

• Lockheed Martin UK INSYS (system integrator)
• BAE Systems (software development)
• L-3 Advanced Systems Architectures (software development)
• Systems Consultants Services Limited (training)
• Saab AB (Giraffe AMB radar)
• Rockwell Collins UK Ltd. (Link 16)
• QinetiQ (emulators & software development)

Additional Readings

• Saab AB – Ground Based Multi-Role Surveillance System – GIRAFFE AMB

by Max Jarman - Apr. 2, 2008 05:59 PM
The Arizona Republic

Az Central.com 

Navy submarines will be able to talk to Air Force jets and Army tanks more easily, thanks to work being performed in Scottsdale at General Dynamics C4 Systems.

The General Dynamics Corp. subsidiary is a key participant in a $766 million contract awarded Saturday to Lockheed Martin Corp. to provide tactical communications and network systems to the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force and other users.

The so-called joint tactical radio systems will link more than 160 platform types, including fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, submarines and surface ships, and fixed-base stations worldwide.

General Dynamics C4 Systems will lead the development and integration of the maritime and fixed-site communication systems.