Raytheon to Provide Revolutionary AESA Capabilities to 135 F/A-18s

[tigershark]

Raytheon to Provide Revolutionary AESA Capabilities to 135 F/A-18s
EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Jan. 23, 2008 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Navy is
retrofitting 135 Super Hornets with Raytheon Company's (NYSE: RTN) APG-79
active electronically scanned array radar.

    An initial contract worth nearly $55 million authorizes Raytheon to
supply 19 AESA systems, spares and maintenance. This ensures Super Hornets
manufactured before installation of the APG-79 will benefit from Raytheon's
new advanced sensor technology.

    The APG-79 program is moving toward full-rate production in
anticipation of delivering 415 systems plus spares to the Navy and 24
systems to the Royal Australian Air Force in coming years.

    "The retrofit program further enhances the Navy's airborne
capabilities, ensuring our customer has game-changing sensor technology
across the majority of its airborne assets," said Dr. Tom Kennedy, vice
president for Raytheon's Tactical Airborne Systems business.

    "Our operational AESA radar delivers a range of advanced options
including non-traditional intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance,
high-speed transfer of actionable information, unparalleled situational
awareness, and targeting capabilities at greater ranges than ever."

    Two AESA-equipped fleet squadrons are training for deployment expected
in 2008. They are the Black Lions of VFA-213 at Naval Air Station Oceana
and the Fighting Redcocks of VFA-22 at Naval Air Station Lemoore.
AESA-equipped Super Hornets are also being added to two training squadrons
so aircrews can learn how best to maximize the advanced capabilities of the
APG-79.

Full story
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/micro_stories.pl?ACCT=149999&TICK=RTN&STORY=/www/story/01-23-2008/0004741140&EDATE=Jan+23,+2008

[shawn a]

I'm glad to see this. Now all the Super Hornet needs to be superior is a true long range air to air missle. I've not heard of anything like that in the pipeline, though, have you?
Shawn A

[tigershark]

The AIM-120 is the best we have I hope you don't mean the AIM-54?  That's a throw back missile to the cold war days made to target slow Russian bombers.  Too many simulated kills and not enough real action to really judge it one or the other.  Real military personnel always say is it battle test, too bad Iran's not a trust source.  Remember they could service and upgrade all their F-14s and F-5 in 40 days if they wanted too.(smile face) 

The AESA should get the Hornet's teamed with AWACS into good firing positions and take full advantage of the AIM-120 capabilities.

[Webmaster]

The new AIM-120D variant has increased range, 50% more they say, that's getting pretty close to AIM-54's range.

[shawn a]

OK Nonpilot,
As far as I've read the AIM-54 was a mach 4 missile.
Simulated kills? Ask the Iranians. They evidently used the Buffalo to kill many Iraqi planes. Check out International Air Power Review volume 23.
F-4s, Mig-25s, SU-22s, Mig-21s, Mig-23s, Mirages, Super Etendards, and a TU-22, all fell to the Phoenix.
I wish we still had something with that kind of range in our inventory.
Oh, yeah, that article says one Phoenix was fired at a range of only 4 miles, and killed its' target.

[tigershark]

 Thanks shawn_a
I would like to read the 'International Air Power Review volume 23" does their web site post pasted issues?  I have read about Iranian uses of the AIM-54 but on the flip side I have also read that Iranian claims may not be true. 

Knowing the skill set of the Iraqi AF I'm sure some of the kills are real.  There situation awareness is very poor and could see fight size targets not moving or trying to avoid these bomber size killer missiles coming at them.  It's just some of their claims from Iran can be hard to back up or support.

Since the AIM-54 was tested on the F-111, I assuming if it was a good missile the USAF would have taken it on in some form, since the Air Force has to defend against Russian bombers as well.  I'm only assuming again but the USN seem to let it fade away so I don't think it's usefulness was always what was claimed of it's capabilities.

[shawn a]

Hi nonpilot,
Shawn here,
Where ya from? Int. Air power Review has a few toll free numbers for USA, Canada, a lot of Europe, N.Z., Finland, OZ, and Japan, although you may only get someone willing to sell you a subscription. It's put out by Airtime publishing. They have the usual w.airtimepublishing.com site on the web (add a coupla more Ws to that) That article was under the heading Air Combat, and titled "Nine lives of the cat: Iran's Tomcats at war", By Tom Cooper and Farzad Bishop. Yeah, they mentioned the unreliability of the Iranian claims, but seemed to dismiss those as just that, and present as confirmed only those kills that could be confirmed.


Hey webmaster or Moderator, if this message is considered off-topic, and should be in the personal message place, well, I'm such a beginner at computers, that I don't even know how to do that. If so, you could send me a message telling me how to do that, if you want.
Thanks
Shawn A