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The revolutionary AN/APG-79 AESA radar provides F/A-18 E/F aircrews with powerful new capabilities.
The AN/APG-79 AESA radar system represents a significant advance in radar technology. Entirely new from front-end array to back-end processor and operational software, the system substantially increases the power of the U.S. Navy’s F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet, making it more lethal and less vulnerable than ever before.
With its active electronic beam scanning — which allows the radar beam to be steered at nearly the speed of light — the APG-79 optimizes situational awareness and provides superior air-to-air and air-to-ground capability. The agile beam enables the radar’s air-to-air and air-to-ground modes to interleave in near-real time, so that pilot and crew can use both modes simultaneously, an unprecedented technological leap.
Now in flight test by the Navy, the APG-79 demonstrates reliability, image resolution, and targeting and tracking range significantly greater than that of the current F/A-18 radar. With its open systems architecture and compact, commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) parts, it delivers dramatically increased capability in a smaller, lighter package. The array is composed of numerous solid-state transmit and receive modules to virtually eliminate mechanical breakdown. Other system components include an advanced receiver/exciter, ruggedized COTS processor, and power supplies.
Since the contract award in 2000, the APG-79 program has met all its milestones on time and the system has shown exceptional performance in flight tests. Currently completing its operational test phase, the program's next milestone is operational evaluation due to start in spring 2006 with the APG-79 radar entering service towards the end of 2006. The U.S. Navy plans to buy over 400 APG-79 systems. Potential foreign sales span seven countries now using the F/A-18 aircraft.
In addition to the APG-79, Raytheon supplies the F/A-18 E/F aircraft with several other systems. Among these are the current APG-73 radar, ATFLIR forward-looking infrared targeting pod, AN/ALE-50 towed decoy and a variety of missiles and bombs, including laser-guided weapons such as the Paveway and JSOW.
