APG-65, APG-73, and APG-79 radars
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Image:APG-73.jpg AN/APG-65, AN/APG-73 and AN/APG-79 are designations for a family of highly reliable, all-weather multimode airborne radar systems designed by Hughes Aircraft (now Raytheon) for the F/A-18 Hornet and used on a variety of fighter aircraft types.
These I band (8 to 12 GHz) pulse-Doppler radar systems are designed for both air-to-air and air-to-surface missions. For air-to-air operations they incorporate a variety of search, track and track-while-scan modes to give the pilot a complete look-down/shoot-down capability. Air-to-surface modes include Doppler beam sharpened sector and patch mapping, medium range synthetic aperture radar, fixed and moving ground target track and sea surface search. In the F/A-18, the radar is installed in a slide-out nose rack to facilitate maintenance.
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[edit] AN/APG-65
The APG-65 was developed in the late 1970s and has been operational since 1983. The radar includes a velocity search (to provide maximum detection range capability against nose aspect targets), range-while-search (to detect all-aspect targets), track-while-scan (which, when combined with an autonomous missile such as AIM-120, gives the aircraft a launch-and-leave capability), single target track, gun director and rapid assessment (which enables the operator to expand the region centred on a single tracked target, permitting radar separation of closely spaced targets) operating modes. Although no longer in production, the APG-65 remains in service in F/A-18 Hornet strike fighters of the U.S. Navy & Marine Corps, and the air forces of Canada, Australia, Kuwait, and Spain. It has also been adapted to upgrade the German and Greek F-4 Phantom aircraft, and the AV-8B+ Harrier II for the U.S. Marine Corps and the Spanish and Italian navies.
[edit] AN/APG-73
The APG-73 is a late 1980s upgrade of the APG-65 for higher processor throughput, greater memory capacity, bandwidth, frequency agility, higher analogue/digital sampling rates, improved reliability and easier maintenance. To reduce production costs, many of the upgraded radar's modules are common with the APG-70 (F-15) radar. When fitted with a motion-sensing subsystem and stretch waveform generator and special test equipment, the APG-73 can generate high resolution ground maps and make use of 'advanced' image correlation algorithms to enhance weapon designation accuracy.
Since 1992 the APG-73 has been operational in U.S. Navy & Marine Corps F/A-18C and D aircraft; early models of the U.S. Navy F/A-18E/F Super Hornet; and in the air forces of Finland, Switzerland, Malaysia, Canada, and Australia. A total of 932 APG-73 systems were delivered, with the final delivery in 2006 [1].
[edit] AN/APG-79
The APG-79 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar is a new development for the U.S. Navy F/A-18E/F Super Hornet aircraft, providing enhanced reliability and a high level of pilot situational awareness. The AESA radar has an exceptionally agile beam, providing nearly instantaneous track updates and enhanced multi-target tracking capability. Benefiting from the entirely solid-state antenna construction, the APG-79 features dramatically improved reliability and lower cost - indeed, such is the confidence that the antenna will need no attention other than for battle damage, a modified radome, which slides forward instead of hinging to the right, has been introduced for the F/A-18E/F, saving valuable space in aircraft carrier hangars, where the radome is often damaged during routine maintenance. The AN/APG-79 is compatible with current F/A-18 weapon loads and enables pilots to take full advantage of AIM-120 AMRAAM capabilities, simultaneously guiding multiple missiles to several targets widely spaced in azimuth, elevation or range.
As of early 2006 a flight test program involving several APG-79 radars is nearly complete, and formal operational evaluation (OPEVAL) testing is scheduled to begin in late spring. The radar is expected to enter service in late 2006. The Navy expects to order approximately 400 production radars.
