AESA radars ahead of schedule

24 Jul 2008

Raytheon celebrated a milestone on 1 July as a result of an accelerated delivery schedule for its APG-79 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, which has been installed on Boeing F/A-18 Block II Super Hornets and EA-18G Growlers.

Raytheon has delivered more than 100 APG-79 AESA radars to Boeing, either on time or ahead of schedule.

Boeing’s program manager for the EA-18G and F/A-18E/F, Mike Gibbons, said that this allowed Boeing to deliver on or ahead of schedule the Super Hornets and Growlers to the US Navy at a time when they’re facing a shortage of strike fighters - and that shortage will only grow.

Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems (RSAS) has also launched a new active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar for fighter aircraft on 14 July at the Farnborough International Airshow.

Billed by the company as providing a “fifth-generation capability for fourth-generation fighters”, the radar is designed primarily for retrofit to a range of fighter aircraft including the Lockheed Martin F-16A/B/C/D and Boeing F/A-18A/A+/B/C/D types.