iscover
Lockheed AMSS proposal. Lockheed's Advanced Multimission Sensor System proposal for a Carrier based AEW aircraft is interesting as it employs a fixed three sided dorsal radome covering what would be three phased array antennas. Phased arrays are built up of thousands of miniature receive/transmit elements which allow nearly instantaneous electronically controlled pointing of very low sidelobe beams, with good frequency agility. This will provide high resistance to jamming while also defeating most Anti-Radiation Missile seekers which home in on a radar's sidelobe transmissions.
Technology Explained
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AEW & AWACS
Part I – The Issues
Kim Beazley’s decision to proceed with the acquisition of Airborne Early Warning aircraft for the RAAF is one which informed observers will all agree to be long overdue.
This journal argued strongly for the acquisition of AEW aircraft a half a decade ago and needless to say none of the issues under examination at the time have changed. While it is nice to see one’s assertions vindicated the issue is now one of which system is best suited to the RAAF’s unique operational environment. The RAAF is facing a non-trivial decision.
Modern Airborne Warning and Control/Airborne Early Warning/Airborne Surveillance Warning and Control (AWACS/AEW/ ASWAC – the reader is free to choose, TE will use the appellation AEW without implying a specific design) aircraft are complex systems integrating a large look-down radar, secondary radar (IFF), Electronic Support Measures (ESM) and a broad array of voice and data communication equipment, all of these carefully traded off to support a specific air defence environment.
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