Farnborough Show News - July 14, 2008 - (Page 38)

FA R N B O R O U G H 2 0 0 8 International Debut of Israeli AEW Aircraft The Farnborough 2008 debut of Israel Aerospace Industries’ (IAI) Conformal Airborne Early Warning (CAEW) aircraft, marks a major step for the Israeli Air Force, filling a long neglected gap in airborne surveillance created since the retirement of the four E-2C Hawkeye aircraft in 1994. In fact, the aircraft’s departure from Israel to the UK hints at its capability to support long-range strike missions far from Israel’s borders—as far as Iran. Unlike the Hawkeye, which could not adapt to specific operational environments in Israel, the CAEW was tailored from the baseline to the country’s requirements. It is based on a special mission variant of the Gulfstream G550 business jet. Less than 18 months after the first modified green G550 arrived from the U.S., Elta delivered the first aircraft to the customer (in February 2008); the second followed in May. According to IAI, the two aircraft began maintaining operational tempo of two missions a day, soon after achieving “initial operational capability.” According to Nissim Hadas, general manager of IAI’s Elta Systems, the prime contractor for the CAEW program, the new platform reflects the company’s advanced systems approach, emphasizing vertically integrated systems, based on Elta-unique technologies and know-how developed in-house. The CAEW is a member of a family of new special mission aircraft, including the AISIS (Airborne Integrated Signals Intelligence System) and the MARS, an Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) platform. The first two are already operational with the Israel Air Force and the MARS is also part of the IAF’s long-term strategy. According to Avishai Izhakian, general manager of Elta’s AEW plant, the aircraft is fitted with four AESA radar arrays. The use of a dual-band system was determined by the physical dimensions and operational requirement for uncompromised full coverage in 38 IAI’s CAEW aircraft is based on a modified Gulfstream G550. all directions. “A typical planar antenna is limited in the side views, hence the limited front and rear views experienced with competing systems. In the CAEW, these sectors are covered by the S-Band arrays contributing to full coverage, with generous overlaps for seamless 360-degree coverage,” according to Izhakian. He indicated the conformal phased-array radar configuration utilized in this aircraft offers the optimal balance between high performance and affordable operating cost. Izhakian praised the current G550 platform, which takes the CAEW higher and farther than its competitors, including the Boeing 737, Saab 340 and Embraer 145 (Erieye). Furthermore, the G550 can generate significantly more missions, since its maintenance and support procedures are shorter. The aircraft can remain on station for nine hours at maximum altitude, operating at a range of about 100 nmi from its base. Izhakian doesn’t rule out Elta installing its conformal radar on other platforms. “We can design and install our radar on a number of platforms and will meet the customer’s choice of airframe,” Izhakian told Show News. CAEW represents the third-generation phased-array AEW radar developed by Elta. The company pioneered this technology in the 1980s, as it packed the phased-array radar technology developed for the Green Pine ballistic missile warning system on a Boeing 707 destined for the Chilean Air Force. This “Condor” became operational in the mid-1990s as the world’s first fullsize phased-array AEW system. Soon after, China ordered three similar radars to be configured on Russian Il-76 aircraft. However, after encountering fierce U.S. opposition, Israel decided to terminate the program, leaving IAI with an unclear future about its AEW thrust. “Despite the significant impact of this termination we managed to keep our teams, maintain the know-how and continue developing a second and third generation of the system,” said Hadas. Within a few years Elta introduced the second generation of its system—to be integrated on an IL-76TD AEW aircraft specially modified with an 11-meter static radome, destined for India. The third-generation G550/ CAEW is currently in production for Israel and Singapore. In fact, both the IL-76 and CAEW are being delivered this year. Earlier this year the Singaporean Ministry of Defense announced that the Singapore Air Force will also receive several CAEW aircraft in the upcoming months. The first Il-76 is currently undergoing flight testing in Israel and is scheduled for delivery in September. The remaining aircraft will be supplied in 2009-2012. — Tamir Eshel New order takes Japan’s AW109 fleet to 21 aircraft. More AW109 Powers for Japanese Police AgustaWestland and Kanematsu Corp. have been awarded a contract by the Japan National Police Agency to supply a further five AW109 Power Law Enforcement helicopters as part of an ongoing program to modernize the JNPA’s fleet. This order will bring the total number of AW109s in service with the JNPA to 21. It builds upon the recent order by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police for a second AW139. In March of this year, the first AW139 maritime patrol and search and rescue helicopters were delivered to the Japan Coast Guard. Four AW139s are now operating in Japan. AgustaWestland is in the Finmeccanica Pavilion OE1/OE2 here. July 14, 2008 www.aviationweek.com/shownews http://www.aviationweek.com/shownews

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Farnborough Show News - July 14, 2008

Farnborough Show News - July 14, 2008 Contents Thirty More Years CFM Reveals New Engine Boeing Reduces Forecast UAVs’ Quiet Revolution Finmeccanica: U.S. Success A Plethora of AESAs BAE North America Plus L-3 Becomes a Prime Better Late Than Never A Peek Behind the Curtain China’s J-10 Revealed Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner Breaking LM’s Hegemony

Farnborough Show News - July 14, 2008

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