Prototype ECRS Mk.2 Typhoon Radar Installed For Testing
BAE Systems and Defence Equipment and Support announced January 17 that the first prototype European Common Radar System (ECRS) Mark 2 radar has been installed in a United Kingdom-owned test and evaluation Typhoon.
Prior to its installation in the Typhoon, the prototype radar had been undergoing ground-based testing at BAE Systems’ Warton Integrated Test Facility. According to Andy Holden, BAE Systems’ program Radar Delivery Director, the facility in Lancashire allowed the radar to be “flown” for “hundreds of hours” without needing an actual test flight.
The test Typhoon is expected to make its first flight with the prototype radar later this year, following further integration and testing of the radar at the Typhoon final assembly hangar at Warton.
Ross Wilson, Leonardo UK’s vice president of Engineering, Radar and Advanced Targeting announced in a press release that the re-engineered designs for the production radar’s processor, receiver, and antenna power supply & control units have all passed their critical design review phases, further enhancing the “capacity, capability, and performance” of the radar even as its prototype version is being tested.
The ECRS Mk.2 is a British development of the CAPTOR-E active electronically scanned radar jointly developed by the Eurofighter consortium as an upgrade for Eurofighter radars. Unique to the Mk.2 is its multi-functional array, which allows Typhoons equipped with it to simultaneously detect, identify, and track multiple targets in the air and on the ground, while performing electronic warfare tasks.
The ECRS Mk.2 is being developed by Leonardo UK as part of a £2.35 billion investment into upgrading the Royal Air Force’s Typhoon fleet, with UK Typhoon manufacturer BAE Systems assisting with integration. Under current planning, 40 Tranche 3 Typhoons are to become operational with ECRS Mk.2 by 2030.
According to Defence Equipment and Support, the overall upgrade program is expected to sustain around 1,300 high quality engineering jobs across the UK over the next 10 years