Eurofighter Typhoon, AESA 및 Meteor 개발 소식...

 

지난 7월 중순 AW&ST 에서 보도한 Eurofighter Typhoon 에 장착되는 AESA 레이더 개발 및 Meteor 공대공 미사일 개발 관련

기사를 소개합니다.

 

독일, 영국, 이탈리아, 스페인으로 구성된 Eurofighter 4개국 컨소시엄이 2015년 Typhoon Tranche 3B 부터는 AESA 레이더가

개발이 완료되어 장착될 수 있도록 의견을 모았다는 내용입니다. Tranche 3B 부터 AESA 레이더가 장착되는 것이 단순히 이들

4개국이 운용하는 것을 벗어나, Eurofighter Typhoon 의 수출에 있어서도 필수적인 장비라는 점을 인식하고 4개국 컨소시엄이

적극 개발하기로 결정한 것으로 이해됩니다.

 

AESA 레이더의 경우, 아래 기사에서도 언급되어 있습니다만, 영국이 선호하는 Selex Galileo 社의 ES 05 Raven 에 적용된

swash-plate type T/R module 과 독일이 선호하는 EADS Defence Electronics 의 E-Captor T/R module 모두 최소한의

설계변경으로 동일한 front-end 를 사용할 수 있도록 개발한다고 합니다.

 

이는 기본적으로 AESA 레이더를 채용함에 있어, 영국이 요구하는 전자전 및 대지 공격능력과 독일이 요구하는 공대공 능력을

모두 만족시킬 수 있는 결과로 보입니다.

 

영국의 경우 자체적으로 약 2천만 파운드 (약 3천만불) 에 이르는 개발비를 투입 Selex 社로 부터 2013년 (일부에서는 2011년)

Typhoon Tranche 3A 에 AESA 레이더를 장착한 시제기를 선보일 것이라는 관측도 있습니다.

 

한편 MBDA Meteor 장거리 공대공 미사일 역시 2011년 상반기 부터는 장착이 가능할 것이라는 내용도 언급하고 있습니다.

 

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Active Engagement

With electronic arrays the flavor of the month, Eurofighter moves to add an AESA to its menu

Aviation Week &Space Technology, 07/19/2010

Authors: Douglas Barrie and Robert Wall

 

Ensuring that an AESA radar remains on track in its domestic constituency is a key element of sustaining Eurofighter Typhoon campaigns in crucial export markets, including India and Japan.

 

A full-scale program to develop an active, electronically scanned array (AESA) for the Typhoon is about to be launched by the partners — Britain, Germany, Italy and Spain.

 

The Eurofighter consortium has been in discussions for some time with the four governments regarding a potential contract for an AESA to succeed the Captor mechanically scanned radar on the Tranche 1 and 2 aircraft.

 

The consortium has made it clear it would begin work even without a formal agreement to ensure the 2015 fielding date needed to meet the planned in-service date for the Tranche 3B Typhoons. “The goal is to protect our export market,” says one Eurofighter executive.

 

Industry completed a risk-reduction study in April aimed at defining the exact technical parameters of the AESA and ironing out industrial and technology differences between key stakeholders. One issue is the U.K.’s and Germany’s interest in supporting their transmit/receive (T/R) module industrial base. With that in mind, the consortium devised an open architecture design that should allow a radar front end using T/R modules from either EADS of Selex with minimal other changes, says another European industry official.

 

But designers also are trying to leave room in the architecture for enough flexibility to guarantee that the radar can be exported and does not fall into restrictions from any of the core member countries.

 

In parallel, the U.K. is pursuing a national technology demonstrator AESA project. Previous related research included the Selex Galileo Advanced Radar Targeting System (ARTS), which was test flown in the U.K. and U.S. using a Tornado GR4A. ARTS was supposed have led to a radar upgrade for the GR4A, but the project was shelved because of funding problems.

 

The successor, believed to be known as Bright Adder, is intended to fit the main elements of an AESA on a two-seat Typhoon. The program is nearing the Defense Ministry’s Initial Gate phase of the funding-approval process. The go-ahead had been set for earlier in the year, but national elections delayed this.

 

The intent would be to move to the Main Gate decision point in the second half of 2011, clearing the way for the acquisition of a production AESA. The U.K.’s aim appears to be to maintain as much commonality as possible with the four-partner-nation effort, although the technology demonstrator will be a national program.

 

The U.K. is particularly interested in pursuing the electronic attack (EA) capacity of AESA technology; at least some of the ARTS trials were intended to explore this. The Royal Air Force’s Alarm 2 missile is due to be withdrawn from service around 2013-14, and an EA capability would partly compensate for the shortfall.

 

The AESA concept being considered for the related projects uses a swash-plate design of the repositioner that moves the radar antenna to increase the field of regard to more than 90 deg. Fixed AESA arrays suffer from performance degradation at look angles of greater than ±60 deg. Options for addressing this deficiency include using adjunct arrays or moving the main array, though far more slowly than the snap rate of a traditional mechanically scanned array.

 

Developers have had to revise the initial swashplate design as a result of a polarization issue with the identification-friend-or-foe system and the desire to keep its orientation constant. The repositioner first had only a single rotating joint, but has now shifted to a two-part joint structure.

 

The Eurofighter consortium is trying to preserve, where possible, the use of the current Captor-M radar elements, including the receiver and processor. In fact, the AESA should reduce the number of line replaceable assemblies.

 

The U.K. has requested that all Tranche 3A Typhoons be provisioned for the AESA, although the radar would be introduced as part of a retrofit. This means the aircraft is able to handle the power and cooling requirements, although the higher-power generators are not being built in at this point.

 

Eurofighter officials are bullish on the projected performance of the AESA, noting it will be more capable than many rivals. Typhoon’s radar will have twice as many T/R modules compared with the smaller Rafale radar, and will also be larger than the F-35’s while having more modern technology than the F-16’s and F-15’s radar, they assert. Flight trials of a preproduction version are slated for 2012.

 

The weight of the new antenna could shift the Typhoon’s center of gravity slightly forward, which will be offset with ballast in the aft fuselage. However, another industry official notes that adding thrust-vector control to the Eurojet EJ200 powerplant would be a more efficient way to tackle the issue.

 

In parallel with the AESA introduction, the Typhoon partners will also start to receive MBDA Meteor rocket-ramjet-powered beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles. The Meteor capability is viewed as a potential discriminator in some of the ongoing export campaigns, particularly in Japan. Air superiority is believed to be the primary requirement for the fighter procurement, which is now expected to begin in the first or second quarter of 2011.

 

The radar is also a critical element in the Indian campaign. Eurofighter would build the first 18 Typhoons in Manching, Germany, before shifting assembly to India.

 

This year, the Typhoon will start to receive upgrades as part of the so-called Phase 1 enhancement program. This introduces a range of improvements, the final elements of which will be rolled out in 2012. Included are the full integration of the Raytheon Paveway IV laser-guided bomb with GPS backup, Link 16 data link, IRIS-T air-to-air missile and electronic warfare enhancements.

 

Full integration of the laser designator pod also is being implemented. Flight trials to validate the package are underway on four aircraft.

 

Previously, the Eurofighter consortium wanted to add another round of upgrades through the block approach, but determined that it would be too difficult to gain approval for major packages. Instead, the consortium is now looking to phase in improvements every 2-3 years. This strategy also reduced the sticker shock for the four core countries.

 

The rolling-upgrade path will also likely be seen in how the AESA and weapons are introduced. The initial focus for the radar will be on air-to-air capabilities to support Meteor. About two years later, air-to-ground modes will follow to add Brimstone, Taurus and Storm Shadow ground-attack capabilities, notes a Eurofighter executive. An inverse synthetic aperture radar mode to fire anti-ship missiles would come in another step.

 

Eurofighter is also refining concepts of operation for the Meteor. Initially, the approach was to consider the weapon simply as an extended-range AIM-120 Amraam. The specified kinematic performance of the Meteor, however, is intended to provide the ability to engage maneuvering targets — with a high probability of kill — at ranges well beyond that of the Amraam.

 

Meanwhile, industry is dealing with several other issues, including problems with the infrared search-and-track system, but these have apparently been resolved.

 

Also still ahead is integrating secure communications for non-NATO members. This is proving to be a challenge in Saudi Arabia’s case, although industry officials point out that it is not a Saudi-specific problem but one that affects non-NATO members more broadly because of security restrictions.

 

In the meantime, fighter production now tops 220 units; the U.K. is the largest operator, followed by Germany. More than 73 Tranche 2 aircraft have been delivered.

 

 

  ⓒ FlightGlobal

 

  ⓒ FlightGlobal