Super Hornet Radar Not Ready For Combat

Mar 12, 2007
By David A. Fulghum


NAS PATUXENT RIVER, Md. - An operational evaluation of the Super Hornet's new radar says it is "not effective and not suitable for combat operations," but it praised the design as a "quantum leap" in air-to-air capability.

Navy officials say it will be fine-tuned for war in time for the first operational deployment in 2008.

The analysis was based on tests of older software (tape H-3) last summer. It says the Raytheon-built APG-79 radar "is effective and is suitable for training purposes," according to Capt. Donald Gaddis, F/A-18E/F program manager. It is in service with the Navy's first Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar-equipped Super Hornet squadron, VFA-213, based at Naval Air Station (NAS) Oceana, Va.

Senior Navy officials say the radar is using a new software tape (H-4E for E/F model F/A-18s) for flight-testing.

'More work to do'

Problems identified by the report include aircrew complaints that the air combat maneuvering modes were slow to lock onto targets. It took seconds instead of the split seconds that they wanted. There also were and continue to be problems with built-in tests that verify and detect hardware faults. So far there have been 23 software fixes.

"We have more work to do," Gaddis says. But, "there are no surprises in the report. The deficiencies that they write about, we knew about at the readiness review in June. In July we were already coding new software to correct those deficiencies. The corrected software has been in flight-test since December 2006."

The same report contends the radar has demonstrated a "quantum leap against significant tactical air threats," a reference to classified details about range, resolution, electronic attack options and the ability to positively identify targets - by fusing information from various sensors - at long range.

Gaddis won't discuss radar ranges. However, a long-time Pentagon radar specialist says the radar resolution is good enough to detect small targets, such as stealthy, subsonic cruise missiles, at ranges great enough to conduct effective attacks against them.

'Robust-funded road map'

The electronic attack capability of the AESA-equipped Super Hornet also exceeds the range of even the latest AIM-120D AMRAAM design and is estimated by Pentagon specialists at well more than 100 miles. By putting the output of the aircraft's electronic warfare effects generator through the powerful radar, false targets, altitudes, positions and speeds can be inserted into enemy radar-guided missiles and air defense radars.

"There are some AESA electronic attack [capabilities] already in the radar, and it will be tested this summer when we do our [test and evaluation] for our first deployment," Gaddis says. "We have a robust, funded road map that's going to spiral into more electronic attack capability. We're going to tie it together with our radar warning receiver and ALQ-214 defensive electronic attack system."

In the wake of the evaluation, Gaddis alluded to fifth generation capabilities for the AESA-equipped F/A-18Fs. Such claims raise the hackles of F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter program officials.

"There is no tactical fighter flying that is more effective in both air-to-air and air-to-ground [missions] as a Block II Hornet with AESA," Gaddis says. "It is the finest radar bomber in the world today. That goes for little platforms and big platforms" - a reference to the B-1 and B-2. The F-22 program has not yet completed its development of air-to-ground capabilities.

Critics of Gaddis' claim contend that cobbling together some pieces of the capability won't result in a fifth generation aircraft like the F-22 or F-35. "The whole point to fifth generation is the synergy of stealth, fusion and complete situational awareness," says a veteran Air Force fighter pilot. The point about fifth generation aircraft is that they can do their mission anywhere - even in sophisticated integrated air defense [IADS] environments. If you fly into heavy IADS with a great radar and sensor fusion, but no stealth, you will have complete situational awareness of the guy that kills you."
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