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General characteristics
Modern AEW&C systems can detect aircraft from up to 250 miles (400km) away, well out of range of most surface-to-air missiles. One AEW&C aircraft flying at 30,000 feet (9,100m) can cover an area of 120,460 square miles (312,000km2). Three such aircraft in overlapping orbits can cover the whole of Central Europe.[1] In air-to-air combat, AEW&C systems can communicate with friendly aircraft, extend their sensor range and give them added stealth, since they no longer need their own active radar to detect threats. However, by the nature of radar, the aircraft can be detected by opposing forces beyond its own detection range. This is because the outgoing pulse reduces in strength the further it travels. Therefore, a signal intended to reflect back must be strong enough to cover at least twice the distance between the sender and the targetmore in practice due to absorption losses.
Japan Air Self Defense Force E-767 AWACS
History of development
As part of their early use of radar, the British developed a radar set that could be carried on an aircraft for "Air Controlled Interception". The intention was to cover the North West approaches where German long range Fw 200 Condor aircraft were a threat to shipping. A Vickers Wellington bomber (serial R1629) was fitted with a rotating antenna array. It was trialled for use against aerial targets and then for possible use against German E boats.[2][3] Another installation was a radar equipped Wellington used to direct Bristol Beaufighters onto Heinkel He 111s, which were air-launching V-1 flying bombs.[4] In February 1944 the U.S. Navy ordered the development of a radar system that could be carried aloft in an aircraft as Project Cadillac. A prototype system was built and flown in August on a modified TBM Avenger torpedo bomber. Tests proved successful, with the system being able to detect low flying formations at a range in excess of 100 miles (160km). The U.S. 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 some 3640 eventually being constructed.
In 1958, the Soviet Tupolev Design Bureau was also ordered to design an AEW aircraft. After trying to fit the projected radar instrumentation in a Tu-95 and a Tupolev Tu-116, the decision was made to use the Tu-114 fuselage instead. This solved the problems with cooling and operator space that existed with the narrower Tu-95 and Tu-116 fuselage. To meet the flight range requirements, the plane was fitted with an air-to-air refueling receiver. The resulting plane, the Tu-126, was used by the Soviet Air Forces until it was replaced by the Beriev A-50 in 1984.
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. The E-3 Sentry was built by the Boeing Defense and Space Group (now Boeing Defense, Space & Security) and is based on the Boeing 707-320 aircraft. 65 E-3 were built and it is operated by NATO and four nations. The specially designed Grumman E-2 Hawkeye entered service in 1965 and has been operated by eight different nations. Over 168 have been produced so far and new versions continue to be developed making it the most widely used AEW system. For the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, the E-3 technology has been fitted into the Boeing E-767. After World War 2, the United Kingdom deployed a substantial AEW capability 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. When the Gannet was withdrawn, the Royal Air Force (RAF) redeployed the radars from the Gannets onto Avro Shackleton MR.2 airframes, redesignated Shackleton AEW.2. To replace the Shackleton AEW.2, an AEW variant of the Hawker Siddeley Nimrod, known as the Nimrod AEW3, was ordered in 1974. However, 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.[5] The Russian Air Force is currently using around 1520 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
Airborne early warning and control replaced the 12 Tupolev Tu-126 that filled the role previously. 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 (AEWAC) system.[6] The Indian Air Force ordered three EL/W-2090 systems in 2004, the first of which first arrived on May 25, 2009.[7] The Royal Australian Air Force, Republic of Korea Air Force and the Turkish Air Force are deploying Boeing 737 AEW&C aircraft. Unlike the E-2 and E-3, the Boeing 737 AEW&C does not use a rotating disk radome (rotodome) but instead has a large dorsal fin. It will probably be marketed towards many existing E-2 customers, who would otherwise have no choice but to purchase a system intended for an aircraft carrier, due to lack of options. The Swedish Air Force use the S 100B Argus as their AEW platform. The S 100B Argus is based on the Saab 340 with an Ericsson Erieye PS-890 radar. 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 100B. In early 2006, the Pakistan Air Force ordered six Erieye AEW equipped Saab 2000 from Sweden for roughly $1bn.[8] In December 2006, the Pakistan Navy requested three excess P-3 Orion aircraft to be equipped with Hawkeye 2000 AEW systems, the overall cost of the program is $855mn.[9] China and Pakistan also signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the joint development of AEW&C systems. A $278m deal has been struck with China.[10] 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 into service. The original Phalcon was mounted on a Boeing 707 [11] and developed for the Israeli Defense Force and for export. Many AEW systems feature additional command and control capabilities and are often referred to as airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) systems.
Saab 340 AEW&C (S 100 B/D Argus) Saab 2000 AEW&C Shaanxi Y-8 AWACS/Y-8J AEW/ZDK-03 AEW&C Tupolev Tu-126 Vickers Wellington "Air Controlled Interception"[12] Xian Y-7 AWACS
Helicopters
AgustaWestland EH101 Changhe Z-8AEW Kamov Ka-31 Mil Mi-17Z-2 AEW Sikorsky SH-3H AEW Sikorsky HR2S-1W Westland Sea King AEW.2 / AEW5 / ASaC7
Nimrod AEW3
Blimps
Goodyear ZP2N-1W/ZPG-2W/EZ-1B Goodyear ZPG-3W
References
[1] "AWACS: NATOs eyes in the sky How does it work in practice?" (http:/ / www. nato. int/ issues/ awacs/ practice. html). Nato.int. . [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] Air-Britain, Aviation World, 2004 Hodges, R "Air controlled interception" Radar Development to 1945 R W Burns (ed) Flypast April 1987: "The First AWACS" "BAe Nimrod AEW 3." (http:/ / www. spyflight. co. uk/ nim aew. htm) Spyflight. Retrieved: 21 October 2010. "Development of Airborne Early Warning and Control System" (http:/ / pib. nic. in/ release/ release. asp?relid=123) (Press release). Press Information Bureau, GoI. 11 December 2003. . Retrieved 2008-07-25. [7] "Arms deal underway, first Israeli Phalcon lands in India Israel News, Ynetnews" (http:/ / www. ynetnews. com/ articles/ 0,7340,L-3721499,00. html). Ynetnews.com. June 20, 1995. Archived (http:/ / web. archive. org/ web/ 20090528073812/ http:/ / www. ynetnews. com/ articles/ 0,7340,L-3721499,00. html) from the original on 28 May 2009. . Retrieved June 1, 2009. [8] 07-Apr-2008 11:12 EDT (April 7, 2008). "Sweden Finalizes Saab 2000 AEW&C Contract With Pakistan" (http:/ / www. defenseindustrydaily. com/ sweden-finalizes-saab-2000-aewc-contract-with-pakistan-02377/ ). Defenseindustrydaily.com. . Retrieved June 1, 2009. [9] "C4ISRJournal.com" (http:/ / www. c4isrjournal. com/ story. php?F=2416333). C4ISRJournal.com. December 11, 2006. . Retrieved June 1, 2009. [10] "$278m AWACS deal struck with China: PAF www.idrw.org / Indian Defense Research Wing" (http:/ / www. idrw. org/ 2008/ 12/ 18/ 278m_awacs_deal_struck_with_china_paf. html). Idrw.org. . Retrieved June 1, 2009. [11] "B707 Phalcon, "Israeli Weapons.com"" (http:/ / www. israeli-weapons. com/ weapons/ aircraft/ phalcon/ Phalcon. html). Israeli-weapons.com. . Retrieved 2012-03-31. [12] April 1987 Flypast Magazine article 'The First AWACS'
External links
NATO AWACS-Spotter Geilenkirchen website (http://www.awacs-spotter.nl) FAS.org E-3 Sentry information (http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/e-3.htm) Boeing AWACS website (http://www.boeing.com/defense-space/infoelect/awacs/index.html) Airborne Early Warning Association website (http://www.aewa.org) TU-126 MOSS AWACS history of development (http://legion.wplus.net/guide/air/m/tu126.shtml)- in Russian Aiborne radar "Gneis-2" (http://hist.rloc.ru/lobanov/3_01.htm) in Russian
License
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