Start News Air New Radar for British TYPHOONs

main — A £317m contract to develop the next generation of radar for the Royal Air Force's (RAF) Eurofighter Typhoons, will sustain hundreds of jobs and develop technologies for the UKs Future Combat Air System. BAE Systems and Leonardo have been awarded a contract to develop the Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) the European Common Radar System Mark 2(ECRS Mk2), radar to a standard ready to be integrated on to RAF Typhoons. It will sustain more than 600 highly skilled jobs across the country, including more than 300 at Leonardo's site in Edinburgh, over 100 electronic warfare specialists at the companys site in Luton, and 120 engineers at BAE Systems' site in Lancashire. Image: A computer generated image of a Eurofighter Typhoon equipped with Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) the European Common Radar System Mark 2(ECRS Mk2).

New Radar for British TYPHOONs

26. July 2022

At the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT), the Royal Air Force (RAF) announced that the British TYPHOON fleet would be upgraded over the next few years with an investment of £2.35 Bn (€2.8 Bn). This would secure 1,300 jobs in the UK. The upgrades include the latest mission computers and a cockpit interface, as well as an improved navigation system and signal jamming technology.

At the heart of the upgrade is the new European Common Radar System (ECRS) Mk 2, developed and produced by Leonardo UK. According to the RAF, this will further improve the TYPHOON’s air control. The Electronic Warfare (EW) capability is to enable the aircraft to detect, identify and track multiple targets in the air and on the ground simultaneously.

According to the RAF, the radar will support operations in the most difficult situations, enabling pilots to suppress enemy air defences using high-power jammers and engage targets that are beyond threat range. The ECRS is scheduled to enter service towards the end of the decade.

Germany and Spain have opted for an Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, which is being jointly developed by Hensoldt and Indra. Equipping the aircraft with different radars is attributed to different operational needs of the countries.

GWH