Wideband airborne early warning (AEW) radar

The Navy´s Airborne Early Warning (AEW) mission has changed considerably as a result of changing threats and threat scenarios. A radar system approach that is motivated by current and future mission considerations is described. The primary characteristics of the radar design include a wide operating bandwidth (1 GHz at UHF thru L-band) for intelligent dynamic waveform agility integrated with the benefits of an electronically scanned active aperture array and a digital adaptive beamforming architecture. Proof of concept is presently underway through an ongoing research and development effort. This effort is oriented toward a power aperture scaled rooftop testbed demonstration. Both the planned testbed performance and projected baseline full system performance are presented. Brief technical descriptions of primary subsystems identifying industry participation and development status are included.