World Top 10 Radars and their fighter
The primary sensor of the modern fighter remains the radar.
Up until the 1980s operating a radar effectively required a great degree of skill; today's
digital radars are simple to use, long-ranged and harder to jam than ever.
As well as detection, modern sets can be used to jam, communicate and collect information
about enemy sensors and communications.
In the future AESAs will even be able to �fry� enemy radars by overloading them with radio
energy.
That aircraft like the Rafale and Super Hornet are equally adept at the air superiority and
ground attack missions has a great deal to do with the extreme versatility of the contemporary
radar, which can simultaneously scan the air for fighters as it looks for ground targets.
There are two types of fighter radar, mechanical- and electronically scanning.
The latter can be divided into three categories: passive scanning, active scanning and �hybrid
tilters�.
The passive electronically scanning array radar (PESA) have a single radio source that
sends energy to multiple receive/transmit modules.
The PESA is relatively simple to create, but not as versatile as the AESA.
The first PESA fighter radar was carried by the MiG-31, which entered service in 1981.
The active electronically scanned array (AESA) also uses multiple modules but each can send
a different radio signal (different in frequency or direction) allowing a greater degree of
versatility, and making the radar harder to jam.
The first frontline fighter to carry an AESA was the Mitsubishi F-2, though the Raytheon
APG-63(V)2 for the US� F-15C beat the type into full operational service in 2000.
One of the limitations of AESA in the fighter role is that the signal is weaker at extreme
fields of regard � a AESA can only see well at up to 60 degrees to the side.
This issue will be addressed in the new hybrid tilting radars for the Typhoon and Gripen
E/F which are AESAs mounted on tiltable plates.
Russia�s PAK FA will also address the �field of regard� issue with cheek-mounted arrays
(additional to the AESA in the nose).
However- neither the new Gripen E/F, Typhoon or PAK FA radar have entered service so do
not make this list.
Radar performance is an extremely sensitive subject with security implications, so most
of the important data is classified- but a broad understanding of capabilities can be
described from open sources.
The order is meaningful, but certainly not definitive: adhering to the top 10 format
always requires a simplification.
Much is open to interpretation so I am happy to receive corrections and additional information
from reputable sources.
10 : FGM29 Zhuk-ME/FGM129 Zhuk-M1E joint place with PS-05/A Mk 3
The baseline MiG-29�s radar proved surprisingly capable when it was assessed by Western observers
in the 1990s, despite its poor pilot interface.
But this is positively prehistoric compared to the radar of the most advanced MiG-29s
in service today.
The MiG-29SMT (in service with the air forces of Russia and Yemen) carries the impressive
FGM29 Zhuk-ME which boasts a search range of around 120 km against fighter-size targets.
This mechanically scanning slotted aerial array radar is soon to receive software updates
and additional modes in Russian air force service to further enhance its already impressive
abilities.
The FGM129 Zhuk-M1E, carried by the MiG-29K (used by the Russian and Indian Navies) is
even better, detecting fighter-sized targets a full 10 km further away.
It can also simultaneously engage four aerial targets with active-radar missiles.
The Gripen�s Saab EDS PS-05/A is an extremely reliable, easy to maintain and mature radar
carried by the Saab Gripen.
It boasts a large amount of effective modes and is said to have a high degree of immunity
against jamming.
It is however let down by its small size and age (which is compensated by Gripen�s excellent
datalinks).
According to the leaked Swiss fighter evaluation the Gripen trailed behind both the larger
Rafale and Typhoon in terms of detection and acquisition.
The latest version, the Mark 3, offers a significant increase in range and sensitivity over the
earlier variants.
The Mark 4 promises even greater performance, especially against stealthy targets (see below)-
which Aviation Week believes �points to the use of multi-hypothesis or track-before-detect
algorithms to pull targets out of clutter� � but has yet to receive a firm order.
The set is mechanical scanning, but Saab has chosen to stick with this technology as an
AESA would demand significant changes to the aircraft to provide sufficient cooling (though
conversely an AESA upgrade has been offered).
The combination of the Mk 4 and Meteor would be particularly effective.
9 : NIIP N011M Bars and RP-31M Zaslon The BARS is unusual in being designed with
a hybrid array arrangement, sitting between Passive ESAs (PESA) and contemporary AESAs.
This design solution may have come from the absence of the notoriously tricky to master
Gallium Arsenide power transistors (even Western European companies, with their incresed emphasis
on high technology, found this hard).
Design maximum search range for an F-16 target was said to be 140-160km, and an early lower-power
version is said to have detected a Su-27 at over 320km.
It is carried by all Su-30M and until recently was the best radar in service on a Russian
fighter.
The enormous power is a mixed blessing: it endows it with an impressive detection range,
but also makes it detectable to hostile sensors from huge distances.
RP-31M The MiG-31�s RP-31 was the first ever operational
electronically-scanned phased array fighter radar.
The M variant can track up to 24 targets and simultaneously engage four well-spaced targets
flying at altitude 50 m to 30 km and with a speed of 3,700 km/h (head-on).
Claimed search ranges for the earlier variants are 280 km for the E-3 Sentry, 200 km for
SR-71 flying at over 25 km altitude, 180 km for B-1B, 120 km for F-16 and 65 km for low-flying
AGM-86B cruise missiles, all head-on (tail-on ranges are about 40-50% of the above).
Search angles are 70� each side in azimuth, and +70�, -60� in elevation.
The RP-31M has even greater search ranges- in 1994 it was claimed that a MiG-31 destroyed
a target 300km away using the R-33 missile.
8.
Euroradar Captor The Last Swinging Disc in Town and RP-31 Zaslon-A pulse-Doppler radar
That Typhoon still does not have an AESA, is something of an embarrassment to Eurofighter,
who could be said to fudge the facts in their literature to imply that Captor-E is in service:
it is not.
But at least the existing Captor-M is the best mechanically-scanning radar in the world,
with twice the power output of the APG-65, the ability to track 20 air targets simultaneously
and automatically identify and prioritise them.
It is a coherent I / J-band (8-12 GHz) pulse Doppler, radar with a 70cm diameter antenna.
Even though it features a mechanically steered array, the low inertia non-counterbalanced
antenna combined with four high torque, samarium-cobalt drive motors is capable of extremely high
scanning speeds.
The most remarkable achievement for the Captor is its ability to interleave different operations
(such as air and ground mapping), something few if any other mechanically scanning radars
can match to the same degree.
It is unique in having a separate data channel exclusively for screening ECM, claiming to
offer a robust protection from enemy interference (though a mechanical radar is still more vulnerable
to jamming than an AESA set).
Released figures state that the Captor can detect MiG-29-sized targets at 160 km and
C-160s at over 320 km.
The electronically scanned Captor-E that will probably replace the Captor is expected to
be an exceptional device, in some respects (field of regard and possibly range) superior
to even the F-22�s APG-77.
Eurofighter have commented that during evaluations by potential customers looking at Typhoon
and Rafale, that Typhoon consistently detected targets at longer ranges than did the PESA
RBE2.
In the Swiss evaluation (below) Typhoon scored worse than Rafale for acquisition but better
for engagement.
7.
N135 Irbis The Su-35 is now in operational service with
the Russian air force and according to some analysts is an effective counter to Europe�s
Typhoon and Rafale.
The primary sensor of its integrated suite is the monstrously powerful N135 Irbis, a
passively scanning electronic array radar (in some respects it is a PESA/mechanically
scanning hybrid).
Compared to the Bars radar of earlier �Flanker�s it has a wider range of operational frequencies,
greater angular search zone of up to +/-125� (due to better aerial and double-step drive),
longer range and better resistance to jamming, finer resolution.
TWS for up to 30 air targets, eight of which can be simultaneously engaged them by active-radar
AAMs.
At peak power (limited to narrow sector) it can see a fighter-sized target from 217-249
miles (350-400 km) in head-on or 93 miles (150 km) in tail-on position.
6.Raytheon AN/APG-79 (Super Hornet) The Unreliable Witness of the Fleet
The Super Hornet�s AESA radar, with 1100 (it may actually be as high as 1368) transmitter/receiver
modules, is very impressive on paper, but reports from the DOT&E indicated less than
glowing reviews from the real world: a 2007 report assessed as not operationally effective
or suitable due to significant deficiencies in tactical performance, reliability, and
BIT functionality.
The Navy conducted APG-79 radar FOT&E [follow-on test and evaluation] in 2009 and reported
that significant deficiencies remained for both APG-79 AESA performance and suitability;
DOT&E concurred with this assessment.
Since then there have been some improvements however, �operational testing does not demonstrate
a statistically significant difference in mission accomplishment between F/A-18E/F aircraft
equipped with AESA and those equipped with the legacy radar�.
A report released in 2013 cited �The radar�s failure to meet reliability requirements and
poor built-in test (BIT) performance remain as shortfalls from previous test and evaluation
periods.
Despite this many pilots have expressed delight with the abilities of the radar, especially
its power to perform two tasks (A2A + A2G) at once.
In 2015 Raytheon has flight tested the APG-79(V) X, a scaled down version intended for the
legacy (C/D) Hornet fleet.
5.
Thales RBE2 AESA Though the AESA variant of the RBE2 may be
one of the smallest radars on this list it should not be underestimated.
When the Rafale entered service in 2001 it carried the RBE 2 radar, the first electronically
scanning fighter radar in Western Europe.
The radar has greatly impressed pilots, with many commenting on the excellent situational
awareness it provides, and how easy it is to use on combat missions.
The original RBE 2 is a passively scanned radar (the first of this type was the MiG-31�s
Zaslon of 1981), something many consider a technological cul-de-sac.
PESA�s have a single critical failure point, a risky proposition in a combat radar.
But the PESA was a stepping stone to AESA development.
It was a huge publicity coup for Thales, when the RBE 2 AESA became the first European AESA
radar to enter operational service.
The AESA has a field of regard of 70� on either side of the aircraft axis and between
800-1100 T/R modules.
According to Thales, the radar offers an impressive improvement over the earlier passive-scanned
RBE 2; in terms of performance, detection range is increased by more than fifty per
cent and the radar�s ability to �look� in many directions simultaneously offers enhanced
tracking capabilities.
Angular coverage in azimuth is improved and targets with lower radar cross section can
also be detected.
While understandably cagey in discussing such a sensitive subject, Thales acknowledges multiple
Rafales with AESA could work together to detect stealthy targets.
It is expected that electronic attack capabilities will be impressive and work hand-in-hand with
the widely respected SPECTRA suite, though Thales also refuses to comment on this sensitive
subject.
Unlike the Raven and Captor E, the RBE 2 AESA is a conventional fixed AESA.
The decision not to include a repositioner was made in the mid-1990s after a detailed
study.
The conclusion was drawn that though a repositioner is a good solution when the combat situation
is simple, it becomes absolutely irrelevant when it the battlespace becomes more complex
due to a high quantity of targets spread in space.
The repositioned solution was also considered irrelevant for the majority of the missions.
Cynical observers have questioned whether a repositioner could have been fitted in the
petite nose of the Rafale, though the success of the Gripen�s Raven suggests this need
not be an issue.Converting a Rafale to the new radar is reportedly very easy: it takes
less than two hours to remove the PESA and to �plug and play� the AESA antenna.
The RBE 2 AESA is the same weight as the baseline radar and uses the same interface.
Sixty RBE 2 AESA were ordered for Batch 4 Rafales; there are currently no plans to reequip
the rest of the air force and navy fleet.
T/R Modules: 800-1100 T/R modules (est).
4.
AN/APG-80 The F-16E/Fs radar was said to be the first
example of export customers receiving superior kit to USAF.
It has a higher reliability and twice the range of older, mechanically-scanned AN/APG-68
radar systems.
It has around 1000 T/R Modules and is considered by pilots both reliable and mature.
3.
Raytheon AN/APG-63(V)3 (F-15C/F-15SG) Building on the experience with the APG-79
but with the capacious nosecone and huge electrical power of the F-15 allowed Raytheon to create
a radar that is both sophisticated and extremely powerful.
The APG-63 has come on leaps and bounds from the rather primitive and ineffective set fitted
to the original F-15As � in fact the new radar features little of the original mechanical
set.
Raytheon is the most experienced manufacturer and designer of AESA radars in the world-
the company dominates the AESA market, according to the company�s promotional material it
has produced 500 of the 780 AESAs in service worldwide � and the creation of an active
�63 has given the old Eagle a formidable improvement.
The APG-63(V)3 radar is an update of the (V)2of the APG-63(V)2, applying the same AESA technology
utilised in Raytheon�s APG-79.
The (V)3 is designed for retrofit into F-15C/D and deployed in Singapore�s new F-15SG aircraft.
Those F-15s fitted with the V3 are a match for any potential adversary in the beyond-visual-range
fight.
2.
Northrop Grumman AN/APG-81 Eye of the blighted Though the F-35 has endured a horrific development,
one success story from this blighted programme is the radar which is by most accounts excellent.
It is likely that its offensive jamming capabilities (using the AESA) will be a significant development
in the history of aircraft radar.
The complexity of the F-35 sensor and weapon system is such that the potential (and an
acceptable level of reliability) is unlikely to be reached for some years.
Much of the F-35�s unprecedented level of situational awareness is thanks to the highly
automated and extremely sophisticated �81.
1.Northrop Grumman APG-77(V)1 American Sniper No expense was spared in creating the F-22�s
main sensor.
Large, powerful and sophisticated, the APG-77 is also beneficiary to almost unlimited funding
to keep it at the top of its game.
The APG-77 is an active electronically scanning radar and has an impressive 1500 transmitter
receiver modules.
The relationship between performance and the amount of T/R modules is such that manufacturers
are very cagey about sharing specifics (though observers with obsessive tenacity can count
the amount visible from photographs).
One disadvantage of the �77 its is use of old-fashioned CPUs, which are tricky to maintain.The
degree of sensor fusion in the F-22 is very high- in particular the relationship between
the F-22�s radar and EW suite, further enhances the APG-77�s effectiveness.
One of the main advantages of this radar is the Low Probability of Intercept (it is designed
to not be conspicuous to enemy radar warning receivers), if this works in combat it will
be a major boon.
Some wonder the degree to which modern AESA-based RWRs would be able to detect it even a LPI
radar, but international training exercises show that LPI does work, with feckless opponents
having little warning of an impending Raptor attack.