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| Science & Technology |
| Northrop tests interoperability between advanced airborne radar and electronic warfare system |
| 2021-09-24 |
| [C4ISRNET] WASHINGTON — Northrop Grumman said it successfully demonstrated interoperability during a recent test of a new electronic warfare system meant for F-16s. During the Northern Lightning Air Force exercise, which took place in August at Volk Field Air National Guard Base, aboard a Canadair Regional Jet, the company says it tested using the APG-83 Scalable Agile Beam Radar, which the company is providing to the Air Force, and what it is calling the Next Generation Electronic Warfare System, an ultrawideband system that detects the radio frequency environment to decide which signals to jam. Company officials said it’s critical both aircraft subsystems — the active electronically scanned array radar, which is nearly identical to those aboard F-35s and F-22s, and the EW system — can perform their roles without interfering or degrading each other. "You needed it to be interoperable with the other subsystems and one of those other key subsystems is the advanced AESA. Because you don’t want electronic warfare to have a negative impact on AESA, you don’t want AESA to have a negative impact on electronic warfare," James Conroy, Northrop’s vice president for navigation, targeting and survivability, told C4ISRNET. The EW system is "a survivability function. AESAs aren’t typically only doing survivability, they’re doing other situational awareness as well as targeting capabilities. You have subsystems that are doing different functions, and you need both those functions to be able to operate simultaneously." |
| Posted by:Besoeker |