Radars Light fighters and combat trainers are benefitting of the most important tendency in combat aircraft radars over the last few decades, notably the replacement of the earlier ‘mechanical’ radar type with the ‘electronic’ type, the Electronically Scanned Array (ESA), more specifically the ‘active’ ESA (AESA). The AESA antenna consists of hundreds to thousands of elements (modules), each with its own transmitter (T) and receiver (R), analogous to a fully functional radar, and independently controllable. The resulting radar is both more capable and more difficult to intercept and jam. There are challenges though pertaining to AESA radar installation in smaller aircraft, the more capable (longer range) AESA system being heavier and having increased power and cooling requirements. Installing AESA radars is the biggest avionics challenge for a light fighter/trainer manufacturer. A current advancement regarding AESA radars is the replacement of gallium arsenide (GaAs) with Gallium Nitride (GaN) as the semi-conductor material used in T/R modules. GaN semi-conductors would require The increase in the price of combat aircraft over the years has meant that light fighters, used independently or to support the former in lower intensity missions and in lower threat shorter range scenarios, have come back representing a cost-effective solution. Moreover, as modern combat aircraft are more automated and easier to fly than legacy assets, pilots increasingly play a decision-making role, rather. This, training requirements have changed, and combat trainers have to meet new requirements, too. As light fighters and combat trainers catch up with the evolution brought by bigger brothers, solutions for radars, sensors and electronic suites optimized for light fighters and combat trainer are flourishing. For combat trainers, the possibility of simulating advanced radars, sensors and electronic systems is the key to enable future combat pilot to fly modern combat aircraft. Furthermore, the more combat pilot can exploit trainers, the less flight hours will be needed for combat readiness on major fighters. The progress of combat aircraft particularly in ‘stealthiness’ and highly data-linked operations has been such that even the most technologically advanced air force, the US Air Force (USAF) has lately been re-defining its future trainer requirements. The service had scheduled to receive the Boeing T-7A Red Hawk advanced trainer from this year. This aircraft had been designed to train pilots for future stealth and highly data-linked operations. This notwithstanding, in October 2021, USAF promulgated a Request For Information (RFI) for a new advanced trainer. This suggests that the service has pushed even further (since the promulgation of the T-7A requirement) its training requirements. New trainer capabilities it has specified, compared to what the T-7A offers, include increased use of sensors. The T-7A is the first of a new generation of trainers. What could be the second has been revealed too: the proposed Airbus Future Jet Trainer (AFJT). If this aircraft is produced, it could train pilots for Europe‘s Future Combat Air System fighter. European air forces have to re-think trainer’s radar, sensors, and electronics too, like the USAF is doing. 24 · MT 2/2023 Theme: Light Figthers Anil Raj Radar, Sensors, Pods, and Suites for light fighters Does size matters? A Leonardo M-346FT (Fighter Trainer) during flight tests. The market of light fighters and armed trainers is about to skyrocket. (Photo: Leonardo) An example of GRIFO-E AESA radar for light fighters. (Photo: Marco Giulio Barone)
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