http://www.lmtas.com/news/programnews/combat_air/f16/f16_03/f16pr030403.html
Air Force Tests Radar Precision Mapping Capability of Lockheed
Martin F-16
Fort Worth, Texas The U.S. Air Force F-16 Combined Test Force at
the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.,
recently began flight testing the high-resolution ground-mapping
capability of the APG-68(V)9 multimode radar, which is now the
standard radar version on all Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] F-16
Advanced Block 50/52 aircraft.
This new radar significantly enhances the F-16s combat
capability, said John L. Bean, vice president of F-16 programs at
Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. The resolution of the radars
ground-mapping mode is the highest of any production fighter in the
world. F-16 pilots will be able to detect, recognize and accurately
locate targets for attack using precision weapons. Combine that
with GPS-guided weapons already certified on the aircraft, and the
F-16s ability to autonomously strike targets in any weather
condition from standoff ranges is greatly improved.
The APG-68(V)9 multimode radar is built by Northrop Grumman, and
its high- resolution ground-mapping capability is provided by a
Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) mode. Flight-testing of the radar
began a year ago. Testing of the radars SAR mode on the Northrop
Grumman BAC1-11 flying test bed was conducted late last year. The
current tests are to verify SAR mode integration and performance in
the F-16.
The SAR mode of the APG-68V(9) should provide a significant
increase to the air-to-ground mapping capability of the F-16s
radar in terms of both range and resolution, said Maj. Todd
Ericson, F-16 project pilot for APG-68V(9) radar development.
Although were still in the early phase of testing, the SAR mode
has demonstrated good potential in both areas.
Changes in the APG-68V(9) radar are considered more significant
than all previous upgrades to the APG-68 combined, both in terms of
magnitude and capability. Besides the high-resolution SAR
capability, there are significant improvements in air-to-air
detection range, track performance, system growth potential and
supportability. Also, application of advanced processing techniques
enhances the radars ability to operate in dense electromagnetic
environments and resist jamming.
The new radar takes advantage of current commercial off-the-shelf
technology, both in hardware and software, which provides a
fivefold increase in processing speed and tenfold increase in
memory compared to the previous APG-68 production radar. In
addition to the new and expanded radar capabilities, the capacity
of the new processors provides large growth potential.The new
technology is expected to provide a 50 percent increase in radar
reliability.
Several countries have ordered more than 200 of the advanced F-16
Block 50/52 version, which is equipped with the APG-68(V)9 radar,
and this version is currently being proposed in several
international fighter competitions. The full-up operational
software with SAR capability is expected to be released to the
field in the later part of 2003.
The F-16, the choice of 24 countries is the worlds most
sought-after fighter. More than 4,000 aircraft have been delivered,
hundreds more are on order for the United States and seven other
countries, and production is expected to continue beyond 2010.
Major upgrades for all F-16 versions are being incorporated to keep
the fleet modern and fully supportable over the aircrafts long
service life.
Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., headquartered in Fort Worth,
Texas, is a leader in the design, development, systems integration,
production and support of advanced military aircraft and related
technologies. Its customers include the military services of the
United States and allied countries throughout the world. Products
include the F-16, F/A-22, F-35 JSF, F-117, T-50, C-5, C-130J, P-3,
S-3 and U-2.
Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin Corp. is a global
enterprise principally engaged in the research, design,
development, manufacture and integration of advanced technology
systems, products and services. Employing about 125,000 people
worldwide, Lockheed Martin had 2002 sales of $26.6 billion.