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14 Jul 16. Argentine electronic warfare aircraft breaks cover. Pictures of the Argentine Air Force’s Learjet 35A were released earlier this month, depicting an aircraft modified specifically for countering electronic warfare. Argentina has not has such an aircraft since retiring the Boeing 707 VR-21. The Air Force acquired the 35A in 2013 and contracted Avcon Industries to make the necessary modifications to allow installation of a Thales Vigile 200 electronic support system.
Other modifications include tanks on the wingtips so antennas could be fitted, compartments and new wiring for antennas, a radome on the tail, and structural changes for delta wings to achieve better stability and efficiency. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
13 Jul 16. FLIR selected to supply sensor for EMADS. MBDA told BATTLESPACE at Farnborough that FLIR had been selected to supply the sensor for the British Army’s replacement for its Rapier missile system, EMADS. Chess Dynamics were among the other bidders. EMADS – Enhanced Modular Air Defence Solutions is a rapidly deployable point and area defence system to protect mobile and static high value assets. It is all-weather providing protection against the spectrum of conventional and difficult air targets including low level terrain following and high altitude threats. EMADS deploys the Common Anti-air Modular Missile (CAMM) family of air defence missiles, designed for land and sea environments, incorporating advanced technologies to provide complete protection against all known and projected air threats. CAMM has been developed for both land and maritime use and allows operational advantages and reduces logistics cost for the UK MoD. The same advantages apply to the CAMM-ER (Extended Range) missile at the heart of the Italian EvolvedSPADA programme. The system has been designed for interoperability with a wide range of existing and future ground based air defence C2 systems and other air defence weapons to support an integrated, layered air defence structure. The detailed functionality can be tailored to meet customer’s preferred way of working, giving exceptional operational flexibility. FLIR has also supplied systems for the Royal Navy equivalent systems of CAMM and it is not clear whether they have been selected by the Royal Navy.
13 Jul 16. Raytheon to develop next-generation radars for US Army. Raytheon has received a $1.1m grant from the US Army Research Laboratory (ARL) to provide next-generation gallium nitride (GaN) technology for military radars. The alliance plans to develop scalable, agile, multimode, front end technology (SAMFET) for the army’s next-generation radar (NGR) programme. The programme aims to improve radar-reliant air defence, counter rocket and mortar system performance, particularly in portable configurations such as hand-held, vehicle-mounted and airborne deployments.
Under the two-year cooperative research agreement, the partners will design and manufacture modular building blocks that can easily integrate with next-generation radar systems’ open architecture.
Raytheon advanced technology vice-president Colin Whelan said: “Raytheon’s storied track record of innovation in applied radar technologies uniquely positions us to play a critical role in the development of the US Army’s next-generation radar system.
“With the (United States) Army Research Lab, our team will leverage Raytheon’s deep investment and unmatched expertise as a pioneer in gallium nitride technology to dramatically improve radar capabilities and keep the army ahead of its adversaries for many years to come.”
Raytheon’s GaN is a semiconductor material that can efficiently amplify high-power signals at microwave frequencies.
It enables radars to operate up to five times more powerfully than they would with older semiconductor technology, without overheating.
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