Vital to U.S. strategic success in cybersecurity is the high-dollar investment in radar-jamming technology and other electronic warfare.
As the Pentagon moves beyond the relatively low-tech wars in the Middle East and turns its attention to future national security challenges, it has doubled down on sophisticated new radar-jamming devices that aim to render adversaries’ air defenses useless.
Although the U.S. faced limited resistance in the skies above Iraq and Afghanistan, that would not be the case in Asia, where the Obama administration plans to shift its diplomatic focus and strengthen its defense strategy in the coming decade.
China and North Korea, for example, have quietly invested in advanced sophisticated radar systems, surface-to-air missile batteries and power-projection capabilities.
So when the Pentagon revealed its fiscal 2015 budget proposal two weeks ago, much of the attention was given to a boost in spending on drones and cybersecurity. Less heralded, but vital to U.S. strategic success, experts say, was the high-dollar investment in radar-jamming technology and other electronic warfare.
Much of this shadowy world is top secret, but the military’s goal is to have complete control over the range of wireless frequencies at the heart of all aspects of war: satellites, radio and radar.
First radar in industry to feature two levels of turbulence detection
American Airlines to take first delivery on new Next-Generation Boeing 737
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (Feb. 4. 2014)– Rockwell Collins today unveiled its new MultiScan ThreatTrack™ weather radar, which provides unprecedented atmospheric threat assessment capabilities for air transport aircraft. The company will be showcasing the new system at next week’s Singapore Airshow.
MultiScan ThreatTrack builds upon Rockwell Collins’ market-leading MultiScan weather radar to deliver additional features and to further increase safety and efficiency. For example, the system’s advanced capabilities go beyond hail and lightning prediction within a thunderstorm cell and alerts pilots to these significant threats adjacent to the cell. If these thunderstorms are growing ahead and below the aircraft, ThreatTrack’s Predictive Overflight™ protection warns the flight crew if the cells will be in the aircraft’s flight path.
In addition, MultiScan ThreatTrack is the first in the industry to feature two levels of turbulence detection — severe and ride-quality—which more accurately informs flight crews of the type of turbulence in their path.
American Airlines is debuting the new radar, which was developed with extensive meteorological research and rigorous flight testing around the world, on its new Next-Generation Boeing 737 fleet.
“Working with American and Boeing, we certified a more comprehensive radar system that improves flight operations efficiency by helping pilots better navigate disruptive weather threats,” said Steve Timm, vice president and general manager, Air Transport Systems for Rockwell Collins. “With MultiScan ThreatTrack, passenger satisfaction will increase with smoother flights and more on-time arrivals.”
“American Airlines is pleased to collaborate with Rockwell Collins on the successful certification and entry into service of MultiScan ThreatTrack,” said Capt. Brian Will, director of Airspace Modernization and Advanced Technologies at American Airlines. “The system’s capabilities, including its advanced environmental threat detection logic, will help American continue to provide the safest and most efficient operation possible.”
In a research project sponsored by the NASA Weather Accident Prevention Project, data examined over the past two decades indicates that turbulence resulting in minor or major injury has cost airlines anywhere from $28,000 to $167,000 per incident. With an average of 750 turbulence encounters per year, the resulting cost to the industry can be $30 to $60 million per year. Lightning and hail damage to aircraft can increase the related costs exponentially.
MultiScan ThreatTrack weather radar is the first fully certified airborne weather radar with the following capabilities for new Next-Generation Boeing 737s:
Patented Track-While-Scan Technology prioritizes weather threats out to 320 nm by performing dedicated horizontal and vertical scans on developed or fast-growing convective cells that pose an actual threat.
Core Threat Assessment examines thunderstorm cells and increases the displayed colors to better represent the actual thunderstorm threat.
Associated Threat Assessment infers lightning, hail and convective threat potential within and external to a thunderstorm core.
Predictive OverFlight™ Protection tracks thunderstorm cells ahead and below the aircraft, measures growth rate, predicts bow-wave turbulence and indicates potential threats in aircraft’s flight path.
Two-level Enhanced Turbulence Detection detects severe and ride-quality turbulence up to 40 nm ahead of the aircraft.
Predictive Windshear Detection with windshear event data recording and retrieval.
Geographic Weather Correlation utilizes a database of geographic and seasonal weather variations that enhance MultiScan ThreatTrack’s algorithms to provide accurate worldwide hazard information.
MultiScan ThreatTrack is expected to be certified for Boeing 777 aircraft next month.
Northrop Grumman expects to be under contract with Lockheed Martin shortly after being selected to supply the active, electronically scanned array (AESA) radar for an F-16 avionics upgrade under development for the U.S. Air Force and Taiwan.
Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor for the Combat Avionics Programmed Extension Suite (Capes) upgrade and was tasked by the Air Force with making the AESA source selection, selecting incumbent F-16 radar supplier Northrop Grumman over rival Raytheon.
Around 300 U.S. F-16C/Ds and 145 Taiwanese F-16A/Bs will be upgraded with Northrop’s Scaled Agile Beam radar (SABR), which is based on technology from the F-22’s APG-77(V)1 and F-35’s APG-81 AESAs.
