As the U.S. equips its fighter aircraft with active electronically scanned array (aesa) radars, Europe’s avionics industry is working hard to put similar technology into its three “Euro-canard” fighters–the Gripen, Rafale and Eurofighter Typhoon. This effort was highlighted last month by the first flight of a Typhoon with an AESA radar installed.
Fifth-generation aesa radars dispense with the traditional mechanically scanned antenna and replace it with approximately 1,000 individual transmit/receive (T/R) modules in a flat array. The T/R array can be tasked to operate collectively to form a high-powered beam, or can be divided into groups so that several functions can be undertaken concurrently. The nature of the array allows it to form very narrow beams, and for power to be applied adaptively, using only sufficient power to perform the task. Both factors give the aesa an excellent low-probability of intercept rating.