A.P. Richelieu
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https://www.nyteknik.se/fordon/saabs-nya-aesa-radar-luftburen-for-forsta-gangen-6994680
The first test flight took place in early April this year.
The aircraft used was a Saab 39 Gripen C / D, that is, the generation that exists in the Swedish Air Force today.
- Now we have been up in the air and we are satisfied with the result, both in terms of stability and that the radar saw the right things, even though we did not directly have a whole armada of hostile fighter jets around us, says Anders Carp, head of the Surveillance business area at Saab, playful and refers to the corona situation.
The tests will last for three, four months.
The radar is basically called PS-05 / A and has been in Gripen since the early 1990s. It is a pulse Doppler radar originally developed by Ericsson and Marconi Electronic Systems. It has since been updated several times. The latest available version has the Mk4 extension.
Decided on new Aesa antenna
But after focusing on the software for many years, Saab realized a few years ago that it was time to also replace the antenna itself to make the radar sufficiently competent for today's fighter aircraft.
The new version that Saab is now trying out differs in several points compared to the Mk4.
First and foremost is the new version of Aesa type (Active Electronically Scanned Array) which is a much more advanced radar. The antenna is mounted on a plate in the nose of the planet and actually consists of a number of small antennas that can be controlled individually. This allows the radar to move the lobe instantaneously and thus perform several different functions simultaneously, for example following two different targets.
Does not end up in Gripen E
In all previous versions of PS-05 / A, the significantly older technology is used with a mechanically controlled antenna that sweeps back and forth.
- Leaving the mechanics means that there are fewer things that can be worn or need to be replaced, says Anders Carp.
Saab's new Aesa radar, however, will not currently end up in the new generation of Gripen E, because the time was not enough to get it ready for the new aircraft. Instead, in the Gripen E is the ES-05 Raven from Italian Leonardo, also an Aesa radar.
Saab has not ruled out that their new fighter radar will be mounted on a turntable (so-called swash plate) in the same way as the Raven radar. But so far they have not cared. The turntable makes the field of view larger.
Gallium nitride lowers the need for cooling
Another news is that Saab's fighter radar for the first time is built with the semiconductor material gallium nitride.
The advantage of gallium nitride (GaN) over silicon or gallium arsenide is primarily lower power requirements and better heat resistance. Saab has been a driving force in the development of the technology together with Chalmers and together with Raytheon was the first to commercialize it in a radar context. The technology already exists in Saab's ground and sea-based systems such as the Giraffe 1X and 4A as well as in the Global Eye reconnaissance aircraft.
- With gallium nitride you can transmit with higher power, get longer range and can support today's and future weapons with longer range throughout the journey instead of just under parts of it. The accuracy gets better and you are not as dependent on much power and cooling. There is always a limited budget of power and cooling on a fighter aircraft, says Anders Carp.
However, what range the radar actually has is nothing that the company reveals.
It works on the X band, which means between about 8-12 GHz. It is a suitable area for fighter aircraft, for several reasons.
- It means a good mix between being able to make the antenna small enough and yet get enough scope. If you go higher up in the frequency band more power is required and if you go further down you will need a larger antenna area. So the X-band is perfect for combat flights, says Anders Carp.
US customer has ordered the antenna
In October 2018, it became public that a customer in the US ordered the new Aesa antenna with gallium nitride. Saab's hope is that existing Gripen C / D customers will want to upgrade their radar systems to the new Aesa technology.
A major advantage of the trial that is currently underway is the amount of data collected. It allows for extensive software updates between test flights.
- It is absolutely incredible what a difference it is today compared to only 5-10 years ago, says Anders Carp.
The first test flight took place in early April this year.
The aircraft used was a Saab 39 Gripen C / D, that is, the generation that exists in the Swedish Air Force today.
- Now we have been up in the air and we are satisfied with the result, both in terms of stability and that the radar saw the right things, even though we did not directly have a whole armada of hostile fighter jets around us, says Anders Carp, head of the Surveillance business area at Saab, playful and refers to the corona situation.
The tests will last for three, four months.
The radar is basically called PS-05 / A and has been in Gripen since the early 1990s. It is a pulse Doppler radar originally developed by Ericsson and Marconi Electronic Systems. It has since been updated several times. The latest available version has the Mk4 extension.
Decided on new Aesa antenna
But after focusing on the software for many years, Saab realized a few years ago that it was time to also replace the antenna itself to make the radar sufficiently competent for today's fighter aircraft.
The new version that Saab is now trying out differs in several points compared to the Mk4.
First and foremost is the new version of Aesa type (Active Electronically Scanned Array) which is a much more advanced radar. The antenna is mounted on a plate in the nose of the planet and actually consists of a number of small antennas that can be controlled individually. This allows the radar to move the lobe instantaneously and thus perform several different functions simultaneously, for example following two different targets.
Does not end up in Gripen E
In all previous versions of PS-05 / A, the significantly older technology is used with a mechanically controlled antenna that sweeps back and forth.
- Leaving the mechanics means that there are fewer things that can be worn or need to be replaced, says Anders Carp.
Saab's new Aesa radar, however, will not currently end up in the new generation of Gripen E, because the time was not enough to get it ready for the new aircraft. Instead, in the Gripen E is the ES-05 Raven from Italian Leonardo, also an Aesa radar.
Saab has not ruled out that their new fighter radar will be mounted on a turntable (so-called swash plate) in the same way as the Raven radar. But so far they have not cared. The turntable makes the field of view larger.
Gallium nitride lowers the need for cooling
Another news is that Saab's fighter radar for the first time is built with the semiconductor material gallium nitride.
The advantage of gallium nitride (GaN) over silicon or gallium arsenide is primarily lower power requirements and better heat resistance. Saab has been a driving force in the development of the technology together with Chalmers and together with Raytheon was the first to commercialize it in a radar context. The technology already exists in Saab's ground and sea-based systems such as the Giraffe 1X and 4A as well as in the Global Eye reconnaissance aircraft.
- With gallium nitride you can transmit with higher power, get longer range and can support today's and future weapons with longer range throughout the journey instead of just under parts of it. The accuracy gets better and you are not as dependent on much power and cooling. There is always a limited budget of power and cooling on a fighter aircraft, says Anders Carp.
However, what range the radar actually has is nothing that the company reveals.
It works on the X band, which means between about 8-12 GHz. It is a suitable area for fighter aircraft, for several reasons.
- It means a good mix between being able to make the antenna small enough and yet get enough scope. If you go higher up in the frequency band more power is required and if you go further down you will need a larger antenna area. So the X-band is perfect for combat flights, says Anders Carp.
US customer has ordered the antenna
In October 2018, it became public that a customer in the US ordered the new Aesa antenna with gallium nitride. Saab's hope is that existing Gripen C / D customers will want to upgrade their radar systems to the new Aesa technology.
A major advantage of the trial that is currently underway is the amount of data collected. It allows for extensive software updates between test flights.
- It is absolutely incredible what a difference it is today compared to only 5-10 years ago, says Anders Carp.
