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Subject: What kind of an AWAC platform could be used on a “harrier-carrier”?
rayott    10/5/2005 5:21:28 AM
Today several nations have small “harrier carriers” and no “conventional” carriers, including the UK, Italy and Spain (not to mention the Wasp carriers of the USMC). I’ve heard that while these smaller carriers are cheaper (by several times) then a conventional carrier, they cant handle nearly as wide a variety of planes, including a real AWAC plane. Is this true? Isn’t there anything at all that could be used? Isn’t there some way possible to create a craft that has S/TOVL capabilities that can be used as an awac? Couldn’t a few NH-90’s (or other helicopters) be converted to carry radar pods? Couldn’t a few UAV’s carry some radar pods and send the radar info back in a steady stream to an “air control room” on the base carrier? I’m asking this out of a honest curiosity regarding the technicalities involved.
 
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Ispose       2/20/2007 1:02:43 PM
I would think a V-22 option would be the best. It's much more versatile than a helo, faster, More altitude? (not sure about that) It also has enough internal space for a bigger crew of tech which would give more usefulness. Add extra internal fule storage and you would have something that would work very well. I believe it also has Air to Air refueling so loiter time could be extended easily...maybe even carry two sets of pilots?
 
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doggtag       2/20/2007 1:25:56 PM

I would think a V-22 option would be the best. It's much more versatile than a helo, faster, More altitude? (not sure about that) It also has enough internal space for a bigger crew of tech which would give more usefulness. Add extra internal fule storage and you would have something that would work very well. I believe it also has Air to Air refueling so loiter time could be extended easily...maybe even carry two sets of pilots?



Does the antenna on an EV-22 (?) have to be a triangular (or any shape) Hawkeye-esque design?
Could we utilize conformal SLAR-type arrays along the fuselage sides?
(or maybe modify & enlarge the landing gear/side sponsons, to accomodate them, mini-SPY style (four main arrays around the airframe like Aegis does on ships), as was done in the MH-53 Sea Dragon to make its sponsons bigger, but for fuel in its case.)
I would think the beams could be adjusted to have minimal interference from the rotors (if the fuselage & rotors don't interefere with the dorsal-mounted dish, why would conformal arrays suffer any greater?).
 
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Herald1234       2/20/2007 2:07:39 PM




I would think a V-22 option would be the best. It's much more versatile than a helo, faster, More altitude? (not sure about that) It also has enough internal space for a bigger crew of tech which would give more usefulness. Add extra internal fule storage and you would have something that would work very well. I believe it also has Air to Air refueling so loiter time could be extended easily...maybe even carry two sets of pilots?





Does the antenna on an EV-22 (?) have to be a triangular (or any shape) Hawkeye-esque design?

Could we utilize conformal SLAR-type arrays along the fuselage sides?

(or maybe modify & enlarge the landing gear/side sponsons, to accomodate them, mini-SPY style (four main arrays around the airframe like Aegis does on ships), as was done in the MH-53 Sea Dragon to make its sponsons bigger, but for fuel in its case.)

I would think the beams could be adjusted to have minimal interference from the rotors (if the fuselage & rotors don't interefere with the dorsal-mounted dish, why would conformal arrays suffer any greater?).

You need to keep propellers[ spinning metal blade-strobe reflects radio waves right back at you at point blank range  and will burn out your antenna] out of the  the radar beam path to keep this return from fouling your antenna reception up. This is done on the E-2 by  placing the emitter well above the spin disk marked out by the Hawkeye propellers.

There is also the static charge buildup issue of a spinning propeller rotor disk  This is not significant unless you try to put a radio beam through it at angles approaching 90 degrees to the plane of the EM field generated[that is parallel  to pole charge field orientation.].

The idea of using a side looking radar as a panel array has considerable merit. The only reason I can see for using the triangular AESA mast array is that the wiring for it as well as the radar heat management via air flow across a convection heat radiator is far simpler than trying to mount four separate quadrant panels on a complex beast like a EV-22. The triangle may be the best aerodynamic shape for the radar housing for the given size for the mast to both mount the AESA radar, avoid fouling the complex rotor/wing foldup scheme and allow carrier deckcrews to pull maintenance on the whole bird. It also might be the easiest production modification to an Osprey.

Looking at it from the engineering and the enduser point of view, this solution seems to be well thought out.

Now if you were to haul the YF-23 out and plate it over with planar arrays or build new aircraft that are so configured, then I would argue axial fuselage buried jet engines for clear beam paths and fuselage airflow for radar heat management. I understand why the USN chose a turboprop, originally, but these days? Bury that high bypass turbojet.     

Herald


 
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