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An Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) is a
revolutionary type of radar whose transmitter and receiver functions are
composed of numerous small transmit/receive (T/R) modules that each scan a
small fixed area, negating the need for a moving antenna.
AESA radars feature short to instantaneous (millisecond)
scanning rates and have desirable low-probability of intercept
characteristics.
Being immobile, AESA radars have vastly simpler mechanical
designs.
They require no complex hydraulics for antenna movement nor
hinge appendages that are prone to failure.
The AESA radar occupies less space than typical radar,
because of its lesser infrastructure requirements and of course its absent
range of motion.
The distributed transmit function also eliminates the most
common single-point failure mode seen in a conventional radar.
With these improvements, maintenance crews are far less
severely taxed, and the radar is much more reliable.
Main advantages over mechanically scanned arrays are
extremely fast scanning rate, much higher range, tremendous number of
targets being tracked and engaged (multiple agile beams), low probability of
intercept, ability to function as a radio/jammer, simultaneous air and
ground modes, Synthetic Aperture Radar.
Mechanical steering may be added to AESA radars for increased
radar field of view, however, no such equipped AESA radars currently exist.
The movement performance of the antenna would not need to be
nearly as great as that of a traditional radar, as the radar sweep is not
integral to the contact update rate. |
