Ground-based radars have received several suspicious returns on the fringes of airspace that cover friendly territory. There is a strong chance that it is an incoming bomber from a hostile nation. This information has been sent onto the Quick Reaction Alert squadron, giving them enough information to scramble and begin their intercept mission.
In a flash, Captain Harris and several other pilots have darted out of their warm building and out onto the airfield, sprinting their way through a heavy rain shower to the hangar where their aircraft are being prepped to fly.
Breathing heavily from her sprint, Captain Harris quickly dons her helmet and breathing apparatus, and jumps into the cockpit of her multi-million-pound Eurofighter Typhoon multirole fighter. The screens in front of her power up and she turns on the aircraft’s powerful Leonardo-developed AESA radar, an advanced sensor that fills the Typhoon’s nosecone up front. She quickly goes through her before-take-off checks and sets the fighter in motion.
The pilots are quickly briefed; identify and intercept a non-cooperative target suspected to be a hostile bomber entering friendly airspace.
Ready for take off
In a matter of minutes, Harris is roaring down the runway, afterburners alight and powering her nimble fighter aircraft into the grey overcast sky. She presses a few buttons on her display and her active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar begins to feed her critical information; for now, it is helping her identify her fellow squadron members while they pass through heavy clouds on their way to intercept the target.
The AESA radar installed on her plane is the very latest radar developed by Leonardo, and the technology allows invisible beams of energy to be steered across the sky, acting as the pilot’s eyes and giving them much greater situational awareness than any optical device.
This AESA technology differs considerably to older radar technology, which typically had just one beam that had to be mechanically moved to scan the airspace, akin to using one torch to light up a large room and having to move it around to see. Today’s AESA technology, leveraging transmit-receive modules (TRMs), is like having several hundred torches that can point in many directions to light up a room. The difference between old and new is stark.
The advanced radar is not only helping Captain Harris with her close-in situational awareness, but the electronically-scanned beams are also picking up the potential mission target, many miles away outside of visual range.
As the Eurofighter Typhoon formation begins to close in, the mission evolves quickly. Unseen by ground radars but picked up by the greater fidelity of the Typhoon’s AESA radar are several more contacts close by the bomber, which are soon determined to be a fighter escort.
The danger levels for Captain Harris and the squadron increase significantly and this is no longer just a simple intercept.
Thankfully, the AESA radar can continuously track targets with its multiple beams, and the clarity of information from the sensor allows the crews to fully understand their situation and quickly come up with a plan; the Eurofighter Typhoons will manoeuvre into an advantageous position and catch the bomber and escorts off guard, leaving them no place to hide. With the enemy force in their sights from a stand-off location, they power up their beyond-visual-range missiles and await engagement.
Suddenly, the enemy aircraft realise they are in the crosshairs and have no choice but to stand down and go home. The hostile aircraft have been deterred from friendly airspace and an escalation has been avoided thanks to the Eurofighter Typhoon’s powerful AESA radar.
From intercept to CAP
Despite the successful intercept of the non-cooperative target and deterring it away from friendly airspace, it wasn’t quite end of mission for Captain Harris and her fellow pilots. The crews then transition into a combat air patrol (CAP), which is crucial for monitoring and control of designated airspace in case any more threats present themselves.
The Eurofighter Typhoons meet up with an aerial refuelling tanker – a civil airliner converted to act as a flying gas station – to ensure that their tanks are full and they can continue their mission for several hours longer.
Again, the Typhoon’s AESA radar helps the pilots identify the tanker in a thick cloud layer where it is operating, increasing safety for all personnel involved.
Filled up, the aircraft begin their CAP, the AESA radar casting a wide net with its unparalleled coverage.
Captain Harris was confident, and she knew that it would be difficult for any enemy aircraft to evade the Eurofighter Typhoon’s AESA radar, even if they attempted to fly low and hide among the ‘clutter’ created by the earth’s surface, since Leonardo’s radars have excellent clutter mitigation techniques. Equally, if an enemy attempted to jam or spoof the radar, it would come up against sophisticated protection measures.
As the hours ticked by, the powerful radar picked up various contacts, though these were quickly identified as civilian airliners flying their scheduled routes. But amongst the normal traffic, a radar track popped up and with a few presses of her display, Captain Harris was able to quickly distinguish another potential enemy aircraft probing friendly airspace.
Once again, the Typhoon crews could quickly respond, thanks to the early detection provided by Leonardo’s powerful, long-range AESA radar. As before, they positioned themselves in a way that would almost certainly see them win an engagement. But again sensing defeat, the enemy aircraft was deterred and was no match for the Typhoon and its advanced AESA radar.
Conclusion
The Eurofighter Typhoon and its AESA radar performed flawlessly, working together seamlessly to provide crews with a distinct tactical advantage during a range of combat air missions. The use of AESA, in particular, allowed Captain Harris and her squadron members to gain unrivalled situational awareness in often complex circumstances, and ensure that they could always outperform and outmanoeuvre threats on the battlefield with maximum confidence.
