Aviation Week reports that Northrop Grumman and L-3 Communications are turning electronically scanned array (AESA) radars into flying hotspots.
An F-22 Raptor, using their AN/APG-77 radar was linked to an L-3 Communications modem. The modem is software-programmable, which means it can be adapted to send and receive using various protocols.
For the test, they used a modified Radar Common Data Link waveform, and the entire array of elements in the radar. They then demonstrated the transfer of a 72 MB synthetic aperture radar image in 3.5 seconds at a data rate of 274 Mbps. That would have taken 48 minutes using Link 16, which is the standard data exchange system in US and allied equipment. In practice, that means the sensor data is downloaded and communicated only when the plane lands.
The AN/APG-77 radar uses an elliptical, active electronically scanned antenna array of 2000 transmitter/receive modules. The radar is able to sweep 120 degrees of airspace instantaneously by forming multiple radar beams to rapidly search the airspace.
Air Force officials have emphasized that they want to exploit the fact they can get close to sensitive targets to both avoid detection and pick up low-power electronic signals. One target set includes hand-held, wireless communications devices.
“I don’t see why we couldn’t take something [collected] from another sensor and run it through this aperture,” says Ensor. “We’re taking what’s in the cockpit and making it available for the whole battlefield. As long as we can get it to the right place in the jet, we can move any data offboard. It doesn’t have to be data we collected.”
Boeing’s Marti concept seeks to combine the wide-area coverage and loiter time of a near-space vehicle such as the High-Altitude, Long Endurance (HALE) concept with the sensing ability and agility of lower-altitude unmanned air systems (such as the Boeing’s ScanEagle). An “eternal aircraft” will require ultra lightweight structures, systems and sensors.
Killer hotspots might also “illuminate” schools and check to see if everyone is wearing their rfid badges — or else!
At the Paris Air Show, Boeing announced the first flight of their Hummingbird A-160T, a robot helicopter without any remote-controlled pilot. It is able to carry a series of payloads such as optical or ID sensors, surveillance radars as well as support and supply materials for ground troops and can fly for twenty hours travelling 2,500 miles. Endurance is expected to increased to 36 hours.
The Coast Guard is exploring the possibility of deploying unmanned “drone” aircraft to monitor coastlines that go largely unwatched, the service’s head of vessel inspections said Friday.
The planes would be able to linger over stretches of coast and improve the tracking of small vessels under 300 gross tons that are largely below the threshold of Coast Guard attention, Rear Adm. Brian Salerno said at a breakfast meeting held by the National Defense University Foundation.
Lockheed’s Skunk Works appears to be back at work developing a new Mach-6 reconnaissance plane. The “SR-72″ reportedly can fly 4,000-mph at 100,000 feet and will debut around 2020.
On Monday, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) approved Airbus’ GSM on-board system for cell phones and Blackberries. Also at the Paris Airshow, AirAsia announced they will be the first airline in Asia to deploy the OnAir mobile communications service.
In other aerospace news, Airship Ventures said Thursday that it plans to begin passenger flights in a German-made Zeppelin NT airship, to be based at NASA’s Moffett Field airstrip about 40 miles south of San Francisco, in mid-2008.
Bad weather has forced Nasa to delay by 24 hours the landing of its space truck. Thick clouds and nearby rain showers forced the attempt to be scrubbed. SpaceRef has satellite trackers like Heavens Above, J-Track 3D Tracker and SkyWatch (by city/state).
Related DailyWireless stories include; Rodney Brooks Interview, iRobot Drafted, SkyNet Hacked?, Land Warrior Retires, Primordial Slime, Advanced EHF - Wait for It, Satellite Jam, Space Lasers and Unwired in Maui.
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