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Airborne early warning and control

May 17, 2023

An airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) system is an airborne radar system designed to detect aircraft, ships, vehicles, missiles, and other incoming projectiles at long ranges and perform command and control of the battlespace in an air engagement by directing fighter and attack aircraft strikes. AEW&C units are also used to carry out surveillance, including over ground targets and frequently perform battle management command and control (BMC2). When used at altitude, the radar on the aircraft allows the operators to detect and track targets and distinguish between friendly and hostile aircraft much farther away than a similar ground-based radar.[1] Like a ground-based radar, it can be detected by opposing forces, but because of its mobility and extended sensor range, it is much less vulnerable to counter-attacks.[2]

AEW&C aircraft are used for both defensive and offensive air operations, and are to NATO and US-trained or integrated air forces what the combat information center is to a naval warship, in addition to being a highly mobile and powerful radar platform. The system is used offensively to direct fighters to their target locations, and defensively, directing counterattacks on enemy forces, both air and ground. So useful is the advantage of command and control aircraft operating at a high altitude, that some navies operate such aircraft from their warships at sea. In the case of US Navy, the Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye AEW&C aircraft is assigned to its supercarriers to protect them and augment their onboard command information centers (CICs). The designation "airborne early warning" (AEW) was used for earlier similar aircraft used in the less-demanding radar picket role,[3] such as the Fairey Gannet AEW.3 and Lockheed EC-121 Warning Star, and continues to be used by the RAF for its Sentry AEW1, while AEW&C (airborne early warning and control) emphasizes the command and control capabilities that may not be present on smaller or simpler radar picket aircraft. AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) is the name of the specific system installed in the E-3 and Japanese Boeing E-767 AEW&C airframes, but is often used as a general synonym for AEW&C.[4][5]

The first known aerial engagement with both opposing sides using Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft was in the Indian subcontinent, during the February 2019 aerial engagements between India and Pakistan, with India using A-50I Phalcon and DRDO Netra[6] and Pakistan using the Saab 2000.[7]

General characteristics

 
Wellington Ic "Air Controlled Interception" showing rotating radar antenna

Modern AEW&C systems can detect aircraft from up to 400 km (220 nmi) away, well out of range of most surface-to-air missiles. One AEW&C aircraft flying at 9,000 m (30,000 ft) can cover an area of 312,000 km2 (120,000 sq mi). Three such aircraft in overlapping orbits can cover the whole of Central Europe.[8] AEW&C systems communicate with friendly aircraft, vectoring fighters towards hostile aircraft or any flying unidentified object, providing data on threats and targets, help extend their sensor range and make offensive aircraft more difficult to track, since they no longer need to keep their own radar active (which can be detected by the enemy) to detect threats.

History of development

After having developed Chain Home—the first ground-based early-warning radar detection system—in the 1930s, the British developed a radar set that could be carried on an aircraft for what they termed "Air Controlled Interception". The intention was to cover the North West approaches where German long range Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor aircraft were threatening shipping. A Vickers Wellington bomber (serial R1629) was fitted with a rotating antenna array. It was tested for use against aerial targets and then for possible use against German E boats.[9][10] Another radar equipped Wellington with a different installation was used to direct Bristol Beaufighters toward Heinkel He 111s, which were air-launching V-1 flying bombs.[11][12]

In February 1944, US Navy ordered the development of a radar system that could be carried aloft in an aircraft under Project Cadillac.[13] A prototype system was built and flown in August on a modified TBM Avenger torpedo bomber. Tests were successful, with the system being able to detect low flying formations at a range greater than 100 miles (160 km). US Navy then ordered production of the TBM-3W, the first production AEW aircraft to enter service. TBM-3Ws fitted with the AN/APS-20 radar entered service in March 1945, with 27 eventually constructed.[14] It was also recognised that a larger land-based aircraft would be attractive, thus, under the Cadillac II program, multiple Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress bombers were also outfitted with the same radar.[15]

 
Lockheed EC-121M one of the first AEW aircraft

The Lockheed WV and EC-121 Warning Star, which first flew in 1949, served widely with US Air Force and US Navy. It provided the main AEW coverage for US forces during the Vietnam war.[16] It remained operational until replaced with the E-3 AWACS.[17] Developed roughly in parallel, N-class blimps were also used as AEW aircraft, filling gaps in radar coverage for the continental US, their tremendous endurance of over 200 hours being a major asset in an AEW aircraft.[18][19] Following a crash, the US Navy opted to discontinue lighter than air operations in 1962.[20]

In 1958, the Soviet Tupolev Design Bureau was ordered to design an AEW aircraft.[21] After determining that the projected radar instrumentation wouldn't fit in a Tupolev Tu-95 or a Tupolev Tu-116, the decision was made to use the more capacious Tupolev Tu-114 instead.[21] This solved the problems with cooling and operator space that existed with the narrower Tu-95 and Tu-116 fuselage.[21] To meet range requirements, production examples were fitted with an air-to-air refueling probe.[22] The resulting system, the Tupolev Tu-126, entered service in 1965 with the Soviet Air Forces and remained in service until replaced by the Beriev A-50 in 1984.[22]

During the Cold war, United Kingdom deployed a substantial AEW capability, initially with American Douglas AD-4W Skyraiders, designated Skyraider AEW.1, which in turn were replaced by the Fairey Gannet AEW.3, using the same AN/APS-20 radar.[23] With the retirement of conventional aircraft carriers, the Gannet was withdrawn and the Royal Air Force (RAF) installed the radars from the Gannets on Avro Shackleton MR.2 airframes, redesignated Shackleton AEW.2.[24] To replace the Shackleton AEW.2, an AEW variant of the Hawker Siddeley Nimrod, known as the Nimrod AEW3, was ordered in 1974. After a protracted and problematic development, this was cancelled in 1986, and seven E-3Ds, designated Sentry AEW.1 in RAF service, were purchased instead.[25][24]

Current systems

Many countries have developed their own AEW&C systems, although the Boeing E-3 Sentry and Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye are the most common systems worldwide.

Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS)

See also: Boeing E-3 Sentry

Boeing produces a specific system with a "rotodome" rotating radome that incorporates Westinghouse (now Northrop Grumman) radar.[5] It is mounted on either the E-3 Sentry aircraft (Boeing 707) or more recently the Boeing E-767 (Boeing 767), the latter only being used by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force.[26]

When AWACS first entered service it represented a major advance in capability, being the first AEW to use a pulse-Doppler radar, which allowed it to track targets normally lost in ground clutter.[27] Previously, low-flying aircraft could only be readily tracked over water.[27] The AWACS features a three-dimensional radar that measures azimuth, range, and elevation simultaneously; the unit installed upon the E-767 has superior surveillance capability over water compared to the AN/APY-1 system on the earlier E-3 models.[28][29]

E-2 Hawkeye

Main article: Grumman E-2 Hawkeye

The E-2 Hawkeye was a specially designed AEW aircraft. Upon its entry to service in 1965, it was initially plagued by technical issues, causing a (later reversed) cancellation.[30] Procurement resumed after efforts to improve reliability, such as replacement of the original rotary drum computer used for processing radar information by a Litton L-304 digital computer.[31][32] In addition to purchases by the US Navy, the E-2 Hawkeye has been sold to the armed forces of Egypt, France, Israel, Japan, Singapore and Taiwan.[33]

The latest E-2 version is the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, which features the new AN/APY-9 radar.[34] The APY-9 radar has been speculated to be capable of detecting fighter-sized stealth aircraft, which are typically optimized against high frequencies like Ka, Ku, X, C and parts of the S-bands. Historically, UHF radars had resolution and detection issues that made them ineffective for accurate targeting and fire control; Northrop Grumman and Lockheed claim that the APY-9 has solved these shortcomings in the APY-9 using advanced electronic scanning and high digital computing power via space/time adaptive processing.[35]

Beriev A-50

Main article: Beriev A-50

The Russian Air Force is currently using approximately 15–20 Beriev A-50 and A-50U "Shmel" in the AEW role. The "Mainstay" is based on the Ilyushin Il-76 airframe, with a large non-rotating disk radome on the rear fuselage. These replaced the 12 Tupolev Tu-126 that filled the role previously. The A-50 and A-50U will eventually be replaced by the Beriev A-100, which features an AESA array in the radome and is based on the updated Il-476.[36]

KJ-2000

 
The KJ-2000 is based on the Beriev A-50 aircraft.
Main article: KJ-2000

In May 1997, Russia and Israel agreed to jointly fulfill an order from China to develop and deliver an early warning system. China reportedly ordered one Phalcon for $250 million, which entailed retrofitting a Russian-made Ilyushin-76 cargo plane [also incorrectly reported as a Beriev A-50 Mainstay] with advanced Elta electronic, computer, radar and communications systems. Beijing was expected to acquire several Phalcon AEW systems, and reportedly could buy at least three more [and possibly up to eight] of these systems, the prototype of which was planned for testing beginning in 2000. In July 2000, the US pressured Israel to back out of the $1 billion agreement to sell China four Phalcon phased-array radar systems. Following the cancelled A-50I/Phalcon deal, China turned to indigenous solutions. The Phalcon radar and other electronic systems were taken off from the unfinished Il-76, and the airframe was handed to China via Russia in 2002. The Chinese AWACS has a unique phased array radar (PAR) carried in a round radome. Unlike the US AWACS aircraft, which rotate their rotodomes to give a 360 degree coverage, the radar antenna of the Chinese AWACS does not rotate. Instead, three PAR antenna modules are placed in a triangular configuration inside the round radome to provide a 360 degree coverage. The installation of equipment at the Il-76 began in late 2002 aircraft by Xian aircraft industries (Xian Aircraft Industry Co.). The first flight of an airplane KJ-2000 made in November 2003. All four machines will be equipped with this type. The last to be introduced into service the Chinese Air Force until the end of 2007.[37] China is also developing a carrier-based AEW&C, Xian KJ-600 via Y-7 derived Xian JZY-01 testbed.

Netra

In 2003, the Indian Air Force (IAF) and Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) began a study of requirements for developing an Airborne Early Warning and Control (AWAC) system.[38] In 2015, DRDO delivered 3 AWACs, called Netra, to the IAF with an advanced Indian AESA radar system fitted on the Brazilian Embraer EMB-145 air frame.[39] Netra gives a 240-degree coverage of airspace. The Emb-145 also has air-to-air refuelling capability for longer surveillance time. The IAF also operates three Israeli EL/W-2090 systems, mounted on Ilyushin Il-76 airframes, the first of which first arrived on 25 May 2009.[40][41] The DRDO proposed a more advanced AWACS with a longer range and with a 360-degree coverage akin to the Phalcon system, based on the Airbus A330 airframe,[39][42] but given the costs involved there is also the possibility of converting used A320 airliners as well.[43]

Boeing 737 AEW&C

 
A Boeing 737 AEW&C of the Turkish Air Force
Main article: Boeing 737 AEW&C

The Royal Australian Air Force, Republic of Korea Air Force and the Turkish Air Force are deploying Boeing 737 AEW&C aircraft. The Boeing 737 AEW&C has a fixed, active electronically scanned array radar antenna instead of a rotating one, and is capable of simultaneous air and sea search, fighter control and area search, with a maximum range of over 600 km (look-up mode). In addition, the radar antenna array is also doubled as an ELINT array, with a maximum range of over 850 km at 9,000 metres (30,000 ft) altitude.[44]

Erieye/GlobalEye

Main article: Erieye
Main article: GlobalEye

The Swedish Air Force uses the S 100D Argus ASC890 as its AEW platform. The S 100D Argus is based on the Saab 340 with an Ericsson Erieye PS-890 radar. Saab also offers the Bombardier Global 6000-based GlobalEye. In early 2006, the Pakistan Air Force ordered six Erieye AEW equipped Saab 2000s from Sweden.[45] In December 2006, the Pakistan Navy requested three excess P-3 Orion aircraft to be equipped with Hawkeye 2000 AEW systems.[46] China and Pakistan also signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the joint development of AEW&C systems.[47]

The Hellenic Air Force, Brazilian Air Force and Mexican Air Force use the Embraer R-99 with an Ericsson Erieye PS-890 radar, as on the S 100D.[48][49][50]

Others

Israel has developed the IAI/Elta EL/M-2075 Phalcon system, which uses an AESA (active electronically scanned array) in lieu of a rotodome antenna. The system was the first such system to enter service. The original Phalcon was mounted on a Boeing 707[51] and developed for the Israeli Defense Force and for export. Israel uses IAI EL/W-2085 airborne early warning and control multi-band radar system on Gulfstream G550; this platform is considered to be both more capable and less expensive to operate than the older Boeing 707-based Phalcon fleet.[52]

Helicopter AEW systems

 
An AEW Westland Sea King helicopter of the Royal Navy

On 3 June 1957, the first of 2 HR2S-1W, a derivative of the Sikorsky CH-37 Mojave, was delivered to the US Navy, it used the AN/APS-32 but proved unreliable due to vibration.[53]

The British Sea King ASaC7 naval helicopter was operated from both the Invincible-class aircraft carriers and later the helicopter carrier HMS Ocean. The creation of Sea King ASaC7, and earlier AEW.2 and AEW.5 models, came as the consequence of lessons learnt by the Royal Navy during the 1982 Falklands War when the lack of AEW coverage for the task force was a major tactical handicap, and rendered them vulnerable to low-level attack.[54] The Sea King was determined to be both more practical and responsive than the proposed alternative of relying on the RAF's land-based Shackleton AEW.2 fleet. The first examples were a pair of Sea King HAS2s that had the Thorn-EMI ARI 5980/3 Searchwater LAST radar attached to the fuselage on a swivel arm and protected by an inflatable dome.[54] The improved Sea King ASaC7 featured the Searchwater 2000AEW radar, which was capable of simultaneously tracking up to 400 targets, instead of an earlier limit of 250 targets.[55][56] The Spanish Navy fields the SH-3 Sea King in the same role, operated from the LPH Juan Carlos I.[citation needed]

The AgustaWestland EH-101A AEW of the Italian Navy is operated from the aircraft carriers Cavour and Giuseppe Garibaldi.[57] During the 2010s, the Royal Navy opted to replace its Sea Kings with a modular "Crowsnest" system that can be fitted to any of their Merlin HM2 fleet.[58][59] The Crowsnest system was partially based upon the Sea King ASaC7's equipment; an unsuccessful bid by Lockheed Martin had proposed using a new multi-functional sensor for either the AW101 or another aircraft.[60][61]

The Russian-built Kamov Ka-31 is deployed by the Indian Navy on the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya and Talwar-class frigates and will be deployed on the INS Vikrant.[62] The Russian Navy has two Ka-31R variants, at least one of which was deployed on their aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov in 2016.[63] It is fitted with E-801M Oko (Eye) airborne electronic warfare radar that can track 20 targets simultaneously, detecting aircraft up to 150 km (90 mi) away, and surface warships up to 200 km (120 mi) distant.

See also

References

Citations

  1. ^ Neufeld 1997, p. 276.
  2. ^ Neufeld 1997, p. 278.
  3. ^ Gordon 2010, p. 3.
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  5. ^ a b . Air University. Archived from the original on 27 June 2004. Retrieved 14 February 2009.
  6. ^ DRDO (April 2021). "Netra: The Indigeneous Airborne Early Warning & Control System Eye in the Sky" (PDF). (PDF) from the original on 23 March 2021. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  7. ^ "Key takeaways from IAF-PAF's February 27 aerial engagement".
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  10. ^ Hodges, R, "Air controlled interception," Radar Development to 1945 R W Burns (ed),
  11. ^ Flypastm April 1987: "The First AWACS".
  12. ^ R.H. Hamilton in Perkins, L.W., ed., Flight into Yesterday – A Memory or Two from Members of the Wartime Aircrew Club of Kelowna, L.P. Laserprint, Ltd., Kelowna, B.C., 2000, and 407 Squadron History 1941–1996 – a Narrative History, 407 Squadron, 1996.
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  14. ^ Hirst 1983, p. 64.
  15. ^ Hirst 1983, p. 60.
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  23. ^ Gibson 2011, p. 10
  24. ^ a b Tyack 2005, p. 87.
  25. ^ "BAe Nimrod AEW 3." 2 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine Spyflight. Retrieved: 21 October 2010.
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  27. ^ a b Neufeld 1997, p. 271.
  28. ^ Air World, April 1998 Special edition "Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft E-767 & E-3" p. 37.
  29. ^ Boeing 767 AWACS Overview June 4, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. Boeing
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  31. ^ "across the editor's desk: COMPUTING AND DATA PROCESSING NEWSLETTER – LITTON'S L-304". Computers and Automation. 14 (10): 43–44. October 1965.
    • . Digital Computer Newsletter. 18 (1): 23. January 1966. Archived from the original on 3 June 2018. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  32. ^ "The Litton L-304 Dual Computer System". trailing-edge.com. 1966. p. 2. Retrieved 1 August 2016. L-304E with 4096 words of memory was completed and put in operation. Very shortly thereafter, the computer was tied to a typewriter, paper tape reader and punch, a small magnetic tape, a real-time clock and a small CRT display and control console. Alt URL
    • "1967 Pictorial Report on the Computer Field: DIGITAL COMPUTERS – TACTICAL AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING SYSTEM (TADPS)". Computers and Automation (12): 35. December 1967.
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  34. ^ Majumdar, Dave (16 October 2014). . US Naval Institute. Archived from the original on 24 July 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
  35. ^ The U.S. Navy's Secret Counter-Stealth Weapon Could Be Hiding in Plain Sight 9 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine – News.USNI.org, 9 June 2014.
  36. ^ Butowski, Piotr. "Model Reveals A-100 Configuration". Air International, April 2014. Retrieved: 21 July 2014.
  37. ^ "Kongjing-2000 (KJ-2000) Mainring". GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
  38. ^ "Development of Airborne Early Warning and Control System" (Press release). Press Information Bureau, GoI. 11 December 2003. Retrieved 25 July 2008.
  39. ^ a b Peri, Dinaker. "India to fill gaps in aerial vigilance". The Hindu. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
  40. ^ Ben-Yishai, Ron (20 June 1995). "Arms deal underway, first Israeli Phalcon lands in India – Israel News". Ynetnews. Ynetnews.com. from the original on 28 May 2009. Retrieved 1 June 2009.
  41. ^ "India set to decide big military aircraft deals". India Strategic. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  42. ^ Mathews, Neelam (28 March 2019). "India Renews Indigenous AWACS Efforts". ainonline.com.
  43. ^ Newdick, Thomas (18 December 2020). "India To Modify Used Airliners Into Early-Warning Radar Jets To Keep Pace With Its Rivals". The Warzone. Brookline Media Inc.
  44. ^ "Defense & Security Intelligence & Analysis: IHS Jane's – IHS". janes.com. from the original on 29 April 2012. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
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  46. ^ . C4ISRJournal.com. 11 December 2006. Archived from the original on 8 July 2011. Retrieved 1 June 2009.
  47. ^ Klasra, Rauf (18 December 2008). . The News International. Archived from the original on 18 December 2008.
  48. ^ Hellenic Air Force: Embraer EMB-145H AEW&C 28 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine
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  51. ^ "B707 Phalcon, "Israeli Weapons.com"". Israeli-weapons.com. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
  52. ^ Egozi, Arie (23 March 2010). "Israeli air force showcases G550 surveillance fleet". Flight International. Retrieved 8 August 2010.
  53. ^ "Sikorsky Archives | S-56/HR2S-1/H-37 Helicopter".
  54. ^ a b Armistead and Armistead 2002, p. 131.
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  56. ^ Armistead and Armistead 2002, pp. 132–134.
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Bibliography

  • Armistead, Leigh and Edwin Armistead. Awacs and Hawkeyes: The Complete History of Airborne Early Warning Aircraft. St Paul, Minnesota: Zenith Imprint, 2002. ISBN 0-7603-1140-4.
  • Davies, Ed. "AWACS Origins: Brassboard – Quest for the E-3 Radar". Air Enthusiast. No. 119, September/October 2005. Stamford, Lincs, UK: Key Publishing. pp. 2–6. ISSN 0143-5450.
  • Gibson, Chris (2011). The Admiralty and AEW: Royal Navy Airborne Early Warning Projects. Blue Envoy Press. ISBN 978-0956195128.
  • Gordon, Yefim; Komissarov, Dmitriy (2010). Soviet/Russian AWACS Aircraft: Tu-126, A-50, An-71, Ka-31. Red Star Vol. 23. Hinckley, England: Midland Publishing. ISBN 978-1857802153.
  • Gordon, Yefim; Davison, Peter (2006). Tupolev Tu-95 Bear. Warbird Tech. Vol. 43. North Branch, Minnesota: Specialty Press. ISBN 978-1-58007-102-4.
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External links

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Airborne early warning aircraft.
  • FAS.org E-3 Sentry information
  • Airborne Early Warning Association website
  • - in Russian
  • Airborne radar "Gneis-2" – in Russian
  • "Electronic Weapons: AWACS Then And Forever". strategypage.com.

May 17, 2023
airborne, early, warning, control, airborne, early, warning, control, system, airborne, radar, system, designed, detect, aircraft, ships, vehicles, missiles, other, incoming, projectiles, long, ranges, perform, command, control, battlespace, engagement, direct. An airborne early warning and control AEW amp C system is an airborne radar system designed to detect aircraft ships vehicles missiles and other incoming projectiles at long ranges and perform command and control of the battlespace in an air engagement by directing fighter and attack aircraft strikes AEW amp C units are also used to carry out surveillance including over ground targets and frequently perform battle management command and control BMC2 When used at altitude the radar on the aircraft allows the operators to detect and track targets and distinguish between friendly and hostile aircraft much farther away than a similar ground based radar 1 Like a ground based radar it can be detected by opposing forces but because of its mobility and extended sensor range it is much less vulnerable to counter attacks 2 A Royal Air Force Boeing E 3 Sentry over North Yorkshire AEW amp C aircraft are used for both defensive and offensive air operations and are to NATO and US trained or integrated air forces what the combat information center is to a naval warship in addition to being a highly mobile and powerful radar platform The system is used offensively to direct fighters to their target locations and defensively directing counterattacks on enemy forces both air and ground So useful is the advantage of command and control aircraft operating at a high altitude that some navies operate such aircraft from their warships at sea In the case of US Navy the Northrop Grumman E 2 Hawkeye AEW amp C aircraft is assigned to its supercarriers to protect them and augment their onboard command information centers CICs The designation airborne early warning AEW was used for earlier similar aircraft used in the less demanding radar picket role 3 such as the Fairey Gannet AEW 3 and Lockheed EC 121 Warning Star and continues to be used by the RAF for its Sentry AEW1 while AEW amp C airborne early warning and control emphasizes the command and control capabilities that may not be present on smaller or simpler radar picket aircraft AWACS Airborne Warning and Control System is the name of the specific system installed in the E 3 and Japanese Boeing E 767 AEW amp C airframes but is often used as a general synonym for AEW amp C 4 5 The first known aerial engagement with both opposing sides using Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft was in the Indian subcontinent during the February 2019 aerial engagements between India and Pakistan with India using A 50I Phalcon and DRDO Netra 6 and Pakistan using the Saab 2000 7 Contents 1 General characteristics 2 History of development 3 Current systems 3 1 Airborne Warning and Control System AWACS 3 2 E 2 Hawkeye 3 3 Beriev A 50 3 4 KJ 2000 3 5 Netra 3 6 Boeing 737 AEW amp C 3 7 Erieye GlobalEye 3 8 Others 4 Helicopter AEW systems 5 See also 6 References 6 1 Citations 6 2 Bibliography 7 External linksGeneral characteristics Edit Wellington Ic Air Controlled Interception showing rotating radar antenna Modern AEW amp C systems can detect aircraft from up to 400 km 220 nmi away well out of range of most surface to air missiles One AEW amp C aircraft flying at 9 000 m 30 000 ft can cover an area of 312 000 km2 120 000 sq mi Three such aircraft in overlapping orbits can cover the whole of Central Europe 8 AEW amp C systems communicate with friendly aircraft vectoring fighters towards hostile aircraft or any flying unidentified object providing data on threats and targets help extend their sensor range and make offensive aircraft more difficult to track since they no longer need to keep their own radar active which can be detected by the enemy to detect threats History of development EditAfter having developed Chain Home the first ground based early warning radar detection system in the 1930s the British developed a radar set that could be carried on an aircraft for what they termed Air Controlled Interception The intention was to cover the North West approaches where German long range Focke Wulf Fw 200 Condor aircraft were threatening shipping A Vickers Wellington bomber serial R1629 was fitted with a rotating antenna array It was tested for use against aerial targets and then for possible use against German E boats 9 10 Another radar equipped Wellington with a different installation was used to direct Bristol Beaufighters toward Heinkel He 111s which were air launching V 1 flying bombs 11 12 In February 1944 US Navy ordered the development of a radar system that could be carried aloft in an aircraft under Project Cadillac 13 A prototype system was built and flown in August on a modified TBM Avenger torpedo bomber Tests were successful with the system being able to detect low flying formations at a range greater than 100 miles 160 km US Navy then ordered production of the TBM 3W the first production AEW aircraft to enter service TBM 3Ws fitted with the AN APS 20 radar entered service in March 1945 with 27 eventually constructed 14 It was also recognised that a larger land based aircraft would be attractive thus under the Cadillac II program multiple Boeing B 17G Flying Fortress bombers were also outfitted with the same radar 15 Lockheed EC 121M one of the first AEW aircraft The Lockheed WV and EC 121 Warning Star which first flew in 1949 served widely with US Air Force and US Navy It provided the main AEW coverage for US forces during the Vietnam war 16 It remained operational until replaced with the E 3 AWACS 17 Developed roughly in parallel N class blimps were also used as AEW aircraft filling gaps in radar coverage for the continental US their tremendous endurance of over 200 hours being a major asset in an AEW aircraft 18 19 Following a crash the US Navy opted to discontinue lighter than air operations in 1962 20 In 1958 the Soviet Tupolev Design Bureau was ordered to design an AEW aircraft 21 After determining that the projected radar instrumentation wouldn t fit in a Tupolev Tu 95 or a Tupolev Tu 116 the decision was made to use the more capacious Tupolev Tu 114 instead 21 This solved the problems with cooling and operator space that existed with the narrower Tu 95 and Tu 116 fuselage 21 To meet range requirements production examples were fitted with an air to air refueling probe 22 The resulting system the Tupolev Tu 126 entered service in 1965 with the Soviet Air Forces and remained in service until replaced by the Beriev A 50 in 1984 22 During the Cold war United Kingdom deployed a substantial AEW capability initially with American Douglas AD 4W Skyraiders designated Skyraider AEW 1 which in turn were replaced by the Fairey Gannet AEW 3 using the same AN APS 20 radar 23 With the retirement of conventional aircraft carriers the Gannet was withdrawn and the Royal Air Force RAF installed the radars from the Gannets on Avro Shackleton MR 2 airframes redesignated Shackleton AEW 2 24 To replace the Shackleton AEW 2 an AEW variant of the Hawker Siddeley Nimrod known as the Nimrod AEW3 was ordered in 1974 After a protracted and problematic development this was cancelled in 1986 and seven E 3Ds designated Sentry AEW 1 in RAF service were purchased instead 25 24 Current systems EditMany countries have developed their own AEW amp C systems although the Boeing E 3 Sentry and Northrop Grumman E 2 Hawkeye are the most common systems worldwide Airborne Warning and Control System AWACS Edit E 767 of the Japan Air Self Defense Force See also Boeing E 3 Sentry Boeing produces a specific system with a rotodome rotating radome that incorporates Westinghouse now Northrop Grumman radar 5 It is mounted on either the E 3 Sentry aircraft Boeing 707 or more recently the Boeing E 767 Boeing 767 the latter only being used by the Japan Air Self Defense Force 26 When AWACS first entered service it represented a major advance in capability being the first AEW to use a pulse Doppler radar which allowed it to track targets normally lost in ground clutter 27 Previously low flying aircraft could only be readily tracked over water 27 The AWACS features a three dimensional radar that measures azimuth range and elevation simultaneously the unit installed upon the E 767 has superior surveillance capability over water compared to the AN APY 1 system on the earlier E 3 models 28 29 E 2 Hawkeye Edit Main article Grumman E 2 Hawkeye The E 2 Hawkeye was a specially designed AEW aircraft Upon its entry to service in 1965 it was initially plagued by technical issues causing a later reversed cancellation 30 Procurement resumed after efforts to improve reliability such as replacement of the original rotary drum computer used for processing radar information by a Litton L 304 digital computer 31 32 In addition to purchases by the US Navy the E 2 Hawkeye has been sold to the armed forces of Egypt France Israel Japan Singapore and Taiwan 33 The latest E 2 version is the E 2D Advanced Hawkeye which features the new AN APY 9 radar 34 The APY 9 radar has been speculated to be capable of detecting fighter sized stealth aircraft which are typically optimized against high frequencies like Ka Ku X C and parts of the S bands Historically UHF radars had resolution and detection issues that made them ineffective for accurate targeting and fire control Northrop Grumman and Lockheed claim that the APY 9 has solved these shortcomings in the APY 9 using advanced electronic scanning and high digital computing power via space time adaptive processing 35 Beriev A 50 Edit Main article Beriev A 50 The Russian Air Force is currently using approximately 15 20 Beriev A 50 and A 50U Shmel in the AEW role The Mainstay is based on the Ilyushin Il 76 airframe with a large non rotating disk radome on the rear fuselage These replaced the 12 Tupolev Tu 126 that filled the role previously The A 50 and A 50U will eventually be replaced by the Beriev A 100 which features an AESA array in the radome and is based on the updated Il 476 36 KJ 2000 Edit The KJ 2000 is based on the Beriev A 50 aircraft Main article KJ 2000 In May 1997 Russia and Israel agreed to jointly fulfill an order from China to develop and deliver an early warning system China reportedly ordered one Phalcon for 250 million which entailed retrofitting a Russian made Ilyushin 76 cargo plane also incorrectly reported as a Beriev A 50 Mainstay with advanced Elta electronic computer radar and communications systems Beijing was expected to acquire several Phalcon AEW systems and reportedly could buy at least three more and possibly up to eight of these systems the prototype of which was planned for testing beginning in 2000 In July 2000 the US pressured Israel to back out of the 1 billion agreement to sell China four Phalcon phased array radar systems Following the cancelled A 50I Phalcon deal China turned to indigenous solutions The Phalcon radar and other electronic systems were taken off from the unfinished Il 76 and the airframe was handed to China via Russia in 2002 The Chinese AWACS has a unique phased array radar PAR carried in a round radome Unlike the US AWACS aircraft which rotate their rotodomes to give a 360 degree coverage the radar antenna of the Chinese AWACS does not rotate Instead three PAR antenna modules are placed in a triangular configuration inside the round radome to provide a 360 degree coverage The installation of equipment at the Il 76 began in late 2002 aircraft by Xian aircraft industries Xian Aircraft Industry Co The first flight of an airplane KJ 2000 made in November 2003 All four machines will be equipped with this type The last to be introduced into service the Chinese Air Force until the end of 2007 37 China is also developing a carrier based AEW amp C Xian KJ 600 via Y 7 derived Xian JZY 01 testbed Netra Edit In 2003 the Indian Air Force IAF and Defence Research and Development Organisation DRDO began a study of requirements for developing an Airborne Early Warning and Control AWAC system 38 In 2015 DRDO delivered 3 AWACs called Netra to the IAF with an advanced Indian AESA radar system fitted on the Brazilian Embraer EMB 145 air frame 39 Netra gives a 240 degree coverage of airspace The Emb 145 also has air to air refuelling capability for longer surveillance time The IAF also operates three Israeli EL W 2090 systems mounted on Ilyushin Il 76 airframes the first of which first arrived on 25 May 2009 40 41 The DRDO proposed a more advanced AWACS with a longer range and with a 360 degree coverage akin to the Phalcon system based on the Airbus A330 airframe 39 42 but given the costs involved there is also the possibility of converting used A320 airliners as well 43 Boeing 737 AEW amp C Edit A Boeing 737 AEW amp C of the Turkish Air Force Main article Boeing 737 AEW amp C The Royal Australian Air Force Republic of Korea Air Force and the Turkish Air Force are deploying Boeing 737 AEW amp C aircraft The Boeing 737 AEW amp C has a fixed active electronically scanned array radar antenna instead of a rotating one and is capable of simultaneous air and sea search fighter control and area search with a maximum range of over 600 km look up mode In addition the radar antenna array is also doubled as an ELINT array with a maximum range of over 850 km at 9 000 metres 30 000 ft altitude 44 Erieye GlobalEye Edit Main article Erieye Main article GlobalEye A Brazilian Air Force Embraer R 99The Swedish Air Force uses the S 100D Argus ASC890 as its AEW platform The S 100D Argus is based on the Saab 340 with an Ericsson Erieye PS 890 radar Saab also offers the Bombardier Global 6000 based GlobalEye In early 2006 the Pakistan Air Force ordered six Erieye AEW equipped Saab 2000s from Sweden 45 In December 2006 the Pakistan Navy requested three excess P 3 Orion aircraft to be equipped with Hawkeye 2000 AEW systems 46 China and Pakistan also signed a memorandum of understanding MoU for the joint development of AEW amp C systems 47 The Hellenic Air Force Brazilian Air Force and Mexican Air Force use the Embraer R 99 with an Ericsson Erieye PS 890 radar as on the S 100D 48 49 50 Others Edit Israel has developed the IAI Elta EL M 2075 Phalcon system which uses an AESA active electronically scanned array in lieu of a rotodome antenna The system was the first such system to enter service The original Phalcon was mounted on a Boeing 707 51 and developed for the Israeli Defense Force and for export Israel uses IAI EL W 2085 airborne early warning and control multi band radar system on Gulfstream G550 this platform is considered to be both more capable and less expensive to operate than the older Boeing 707 based Phalcon fleet 52 Helicopter AEW systems Edit An AEW Westland Sea King helicopter of the Royal Navy On 3 June 1957 the first of 2 HR2S 1W a derivative of the Sikorsky CH 37 Mojave was delivered to the US Navy it used the AN APS 32 but proved unreliable due to vibration 53 The British Sea King ASaC7 naval helicopter was operated from both the Invincible class aircraft carriers and later the helicopter carrier HMS Ocean The creation of Sea King ASaC7 and earlier AEW 2 and AEW 5 models came as the consequence of lessons learnt by the Royal Navy during the 1982 Falklands War when the lack of AEW coverage for the task force was a major tactical handicap and rendered them vulnerable to low level attack 54 The Sea King was determined to be both more practical and responsive than the proposed alternative of relying on the RAF s land based Shackleton AEW 2 fleet The first examples were a pair of Sea King HAS2s that had the Thorn EMI ARI 5980 3 Searchwater LAST radar attached to the fuselage on a swivel arm and protected by an inflatable dome 54 The improved Sea King ASaC7 featured the Searchwater 2000AEW radar which was capable of simultaneously tracking up to 400 targets instead of an earlier limit of 250 targets 55 56 The Spanish Navy fields the SH 3 Sea King in the same role operated from the LPH Juan Carlos I citation needed The AgustaWestland EH 101A AEW of the Italian Navy is operated from the aircraft carriers Cavour and Giuseppe Garibaldi 57 During the 2010s the Royal Navy opted to replace its Sea Kings with a modular Crowsnest system that can be fitted to any of their Merlin HM2 fleet 58 59 The Crowsnest system was partially based upon the Sea King ASaC7 s equipment an unsuccessful bid by Lockheed Martin had proposed using a new multi functional sensor for either the AW101 or another aircraft 60 61 The Russian built Kamov Ka 31 is deployed by the Indian Navy on the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya and Talwar class frigates and will be deployed on the INS Vikrant 62 The Russian Navy has two Ka 31R variants at least one of which was deployed on their aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov in 2016 63 It is fitted with E 801M Oko Eye airborne electronic warfare radar that can track 20 targets simultaneously detecting aircraft up to 150 km 90 mi away and surface warships up to 200 km 120 mi distant See also EditList of airborne early warning aircraft List of AEW amp C aircraft operators Airborne ground surveillance e g JSTARS References EditCitations Edit Neufeld 1997 p 276 Neufeld 1997 p 278 Gordon 2010 p 3 Boeing Delivers First Two 767 AWACS Introduces Newest Member of AEW amp C Family MediaRoom a b AWACS to Bridge the Technological Gap Air University Archived from the original on 27 June 2004 Retrieved 14 February 2009 DRDO April 2021 Netra The Indigeneous Airborne Early Warning amp Control System Eye in the Sky PDF Archived PDF from the original on 23 March 2021 Retrieved 11 April 2022 Key takeaways from IAF PAF s February 27 aerial engagement AWACS Nato s eyes in the sky PDF Nato Air Britain Aviation World 2004 Hodges R Air controlled interception Radar Development to 1945 R W Burns ed Flypastm April 1987 The First AWACS R H Hamilton in Perkins L W ed Flight into Yesterday A Memory or Two from Members of the Wartime Aircrew Club of Kelowna L P Laserprint Ltd Kelowna B C 2000 and 407 Squadron History 1941 1996 a Narrative History 407 Squadron 1996 Hirst 1983 p 59 Hirst 1983 p 64 Hirst 1983 p 60 Corell John T Igloo White Air Force Magazine Vol 87 No 11 November 2004 via web archive org Retrieved 23 December 2010 Wilson 1998 p 72 Navy Airship Longer Than Football Field Popular Mechanics September 1952 p 117 bottom Sky Ships A History of the Airship in the United States Navy Althoff W F Pacifica Press c1991 ISBN 0 935553 32 0 Moore Kirk 27 October 2011 After 50 years Navy resumes airship program Navy Times a b c Gordon 2006 p 86 a b Gordon 2006 p 87 Gibson 2011 p 10 a b Tyack 2005 p 87 BAe Nimrod AEW 3 Archived 2 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine Spyflight Retrieved 21 October 2010 Air World April 1998 Special edition Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft E 767 amp E 3 p 30 a b Neufeld 1997 p 271 Air World April 1998 Special edition Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft E 767 amp E 3 p 37 Boeing 767 AWACS Overview Archived June 4 2007 at the Wayback Machine Boeing Taylor 1976 p 291 across the editor s desk COMPUTING AND DATA PROCESSING NEWSLETTER LITTON S L 304 Computers and Automation 14 10 43 44 October 1965 COMPUTERS AND DATA PROCESSORS NORTH AMERICA 4 Litton Industries Guidance and Control Systems Division L 304 Militarized Computer Woodland Hills California Digital Computer Newsletter 18 1 23 January 1966 Archived from the original on 3 June 2018 Retrieved 25 February 2019 The Litton L 304 Dual Computer System trailing edge com 1966 p 2 Retrieved 1 August 2016 L 304E with 4096 words of memory was completed and put in operation Very shortly thereafter the computer was tied to a typewriter paper tape reader and punch a small magnetic tape a real time clock and a small CRT display and control console Alt URL 1967 Pictorial Report on the Computer Field DIGITAL COMPUTERS TACTICAL AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING SYSTEM TADPS Computers and Automation 12 35 December 1967 Donald David ed Grumman E 2 Hawkeye TE 2 C 2 Greyhound The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft Barnes amp Nobel Books 1997 ISBN 0 7607 0592 5 Majumdar Dave 16 October 2014 Navy Declares IOC For E 2D Advanced Hawkeye US Naval Institute Archived from the original on 24 July 2015 Retrieved 25 July 2015 The U S Navy s Secret Counter Stealth Weapon Could Be Hiding in Plain Sight Archived 9 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine News USNI org 9 June 2014 Butowski Piotr Model Reveals A 100 Configuration Air International April 2014 Retrieved 21 July 2014 Kongjing 2000 KJ 2000 Mainring GlobalSecurity org Retrieved 1 April 2015 Development of Airborne Early Warning and Control System Press release Press Information Bureau GoI 11 December 2003 Retrieved 25 July 2008 a b Peri Dinaker India to fill gaps in aerial vigilance The Hindu Retrieved 27 February 2017 Ben Yishai Ron 20 June 1995 Arms deal underway first Israeli Phalcon lands in India Israel News Ynetnews Ynetnews com Archived from the original on 28 May 2009 Retrieved 1 June 2009 India set to decide big military aircraft deals India Strategic Retrieved 3 January 2014 Mathews Neelam 28 March 2019 India Renews Indigenous AWACS Efforts ainonline com Newdick Thomas 18 December 2020 India To Modify Used Airliners Into Early Warning Radar Jets To Keep Pace With Its Rivals The Warzone Brookline Media Inc Defense amp Security Intelligence amp Analysis IHS Jane s IHS janes com Archived from the original on 29 April 2012 Retrieved 7 March 2016 07 Apr 2008 11 12 EDT 7 April 2008 Sweden Finalizes Saab 2000 AEW amp C Contract With Pakistan Defenseindustrydaily com Retrieved 1 June 2009 C4ISRJournal com C4ISRJournal com 11 December 2006 Archived from the original on 8 July 2011 Retrieved 1 June 2009 Klasra Rauf 18 December 2008 278m AWACS deal struck with China The News International Archived from the original on 18 December 2008 Hellenic Air Force Embraer EMB 145H AEW amp C Archived 28 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine Saab receives order for upgrade of mission system Erieye for Brazil News Powered by Cision Archived from the original on 23 February 2016 Retrieved 1 February 2016 Barreira Victor 13 May 2019 Brazil seeks first modernised AEW amp C aircraft in 2020 Jane s 360 Rio de Janeiro Archived from the original on 13 May 2019 Retrieved 14 May 2019 B707 Phalcon Israeli Weapons com Israeli weapons com Retrieved 31 March 2012 Egozi Arie 23 March 2010 Israeli air force showcases G550 surveillance fleet Flight International Retrieved 8 August 2010 Sikorsky Archives S 56 HR2S 1 H 37 Helicopter a b Armistead and Armistead 2002 p 131 Cerberus set for service aboard Sea King Whiskey Upgrade Update Archived 8 July 2011 at Wikiwix Jane s International Defence Review 24 September 2002 Retrieved 19 April 2012 Armistead and Armistead 2002 pp 132 134 EH 101 Italian Ministry of Defense Retrieved 29 May 2020 Hoyle Craig 22 May 2015 Thales bags selection for RN Crowsnest system Flight Global Janes Latest defence and security news Archived from the original on 29 May 2014 Retrieved 17 June 2014 Hoyle Craig 15 September 2011 Thales outlines Sea King 7 replacement proposal Flight International Archived from the original on 11 December 2011 Retrieved 5 January 2012 New surveillance system for future Royal Navy aircraft carriers revealed gov uk Archived from the original on 17 July 2015 Retrieved 23 July 2015 Ka 31 Radar Picket Airborne Early Warning AEW Helicopter Russia Airforce Technology Airforce technology Retrieved 3 January 2014 Carrier based Ka 52K bound for Syria Combat Aircraft 21 October 2016 Bibliography Edit Armistead Leigh and Edwin Armistead Awacs and Hawkeyes The Complete History of Airborne Early Warning Aircraft St Paul Minnesota Zenith Imprint 2002 ISBN 0 7603 1140 4 Davies Ed AWACS Origins Brassboard Quest for the E 3 Radar Air Enthusiast No 119 September October 2005 Stamford Lincs UK Key Publishing pp 2 6 ISSN 0143 5450 Gibson Chris 2011 The Admiralty and AEW Royal Navy Airborne Early Warning Projects Blue Envoy Press ISBN 978 0956195128 Gordon Yefim Komissarov Dmitriy 2010 Soviet Russian AWACS Aircraft Tu 126 A 50 An 71 Ka 31 Red Star Vol 23 Hinckley England Midland Publishing ISBN 978 1857802153 Gordon Yefim Davison Peter 2006 Tupolev Tu 95 Bear Warbird Tech Vol 43 North Branch Minnesota Specialty Press ISBN 978 1 58007 102 4 Hazell Steve 2000 Fairey Gannet Warpaint Series No 23 Buckinghamshire England Hall Park Books ISSN 1363 0369 Hirst Mike 1983 Airborne Early Warning Design Development and Operations London Osprey ISBN 978 0 85045 532 8 Hurturk Kivanc N 1998 History of the Boeing 707 New Hills Buchair ISBN 0 9666368 0 5 Lake Jon February 2009 Aircraft of the RAF Part 10 Sentry AEW 1 Air International Vol 76 no 2 Stamford UK Key Publishing pp 44 47 Lloyd Alwyn T 1987 Boeing 707 amp AWACS in Detail and Scale Falbrook CA Aero Publishers ISBN 0 8306 8533 2 Neufeld Jacob Watson George M Jr Chenoweth David 1997 Technology and the Air Force A Retrospective Assessment Washington D C United States Air Force pp 267 287 http www dtic mil cgi bin GetTRDoc AD ADA440094 amp Location U2 amp doc GetTRDoc pdf Archived 2 September 2012 at WebCite Pither Tony 1998 The Boeing 707 720 and C 135 Air Britain Historians ISBN 0 85130 236 X Tyack Bill Maritime Patrol in the Piston Engine Era Royal Air Force Historical Society Journal 33 2005 ISSN 1361 4231 Wilson Stewart 1998 Boeing 707 Douglas DC 8 and Vickers VC 10 Fyshwick Australia Aerospace Publications ISBN 1 875671 36 6 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Airborne early warning aircraft AWACS and JSTARS NATO AWACS Spotter Geilenkirchen website FAS org E 3 Sentry information Boeing AWACS website Airborne Early Warning Association website TU 126 MOSS AWACS history of development in Russian Airborne radar Gneis 2 in Russian Electronic Weapons AWACS Then And Forever strategypage com Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Airborne early warning and control amp oldid 1145822502, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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