Leonardo has announced the next package of survivability upgrades to the Eurofighter Typhoon’s Defensive Aids Sub-System (DASS). The company made the announcement on 14 July at this year’s Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT 23), held at RAF Fairford, on behalf of the EuroDASS consortium, which as well as Leonardo includes Hensoldt, Indra and ELT Group.
Designed to meet the requirements of Typhoon operators, the upgrades are being proposed for the Eurofighter four-nation Phase 4 Enhancement (P4E) package and will also be available for export customers.
A Leonardo spokesman noted that, unlike previous Typhoon DASS software upgrades, the latest upgrades are hardware based. He added that, in order to be available in the same timescale as the P4E package, the upgrades are due to be qualified by the end of 2026.
“The latest upgrade will increase the survivability of the aircraft and lays the foundation for the defence system’s integration with Typhoon’s highly capable E-scan radars, Leonardo stated in a press release. “This includes all versions of the Typhoon E-scan radar, comprising [those] already in service as well as variants currently under development by the Eurofighter partner nations.”
What is now known as the European Common Radar System (ECRS) Mk 0 is already in service on Kuwaiti and Qatari Typhoons, while the ECRS Mk 1 will be installed on German and Spanish Eurofighters and the ECRS Mk 2, which is a more developed radar advanced electronic attack and electronic warfare capabilities, will enter service on British Typhoons.
The Leonardo spokesman said that a key requirement for the latest DASS upgrade is that it will be available in time for integration with ECRS Mk 2, which he assured that it would be.
The Typhoon’s current DASS, which is called Praetorian after the elite Roman corps of bodyguards, protects the aircraft from threats including infra-red- and radar-guided missiles. The system’s integrated sensors and jamming equipment deliver situational awareness to the pilot and equip the aircraft with a digital stealth capability, achieved through advanced electronic deception techniques.
The latest DASS upgrade “will see the EuroDASS partners integrate a number of new capabilities, already at advanced stages of development, into the Praetorian system”, Leonardo stated. “This includes a digital receiver capability, which will allow Typhoon to better recognise modern and complex targets and their modes of operation, enabling it to deploy the appropriate countermeasures. The upgrade also incorporates a band extension allowing Typhoon to continue to operate in the increasingly complex, congested and contested electromagnetic battlespace of the future.”
The upgrade will also include enhancements to signal processing algorithms and processor capabilities, delivering major advances in processing speed, capability and memory. This will allow the Praetorian system to make the most of its integration with the ECRS Mk 0/1/2 radars.
Leonardo is integrating the Praetorian system at its facilities in Luton, Bedfordshire, while development of the digital receiver capability has been led by German partner Hensoldt and the band extension work by Spanish partner Indra. Further electronic countermeasures and cooling system enhancements will be led by ELT Group.
Leonardo stated that initial flight trials of the DASS upgrade will soon take place on board a Piper PA31 Navajo test platform operated by 2Excel: its test and evaluation partner. Further trials on board Typhoon aircraft are scheduled for early 2024.
Peter Felstead