本專欄收集各種「先進」（不要給我看到什麼舊東西）感測器的新聞與評論，就這樣。

ROLLING MEADOWS, Ill. --- Northrop Grumman Corporations Electronic Systems sector has successfully modified a Litening Extended Range (ER) targeting and navigation pod to enable a data link between a U.S. Marine AV-8B aircraft and a ground station for a Pioneer unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

Modifications to the Litening ER involved mounting a government-furnished equipment (GFE) data/video link transmitter compatible with the Pioneer UAV system in the pod, along with a commercial off-the-shelf transmit antenna. Operational evaluation flight missions of the AV-8B aircraft equipped with the modified Litening pod were then conducted at the Marine Corps Air Station in Yuma, Ariz., where cockpit imagery from the pod was successfully relayed to a Pioneer ground station via the GFE transmitter. The modification took less than one month to complete and had no adverse effects on the normal functioning of the pod.

“Northrop Grumman is very proud of the government-industry teamwork that made this flight demonstration such a success” said Michael Lennon, vice president of Targeting and Surveillance Programs at Northrop Grummans Defensive Systems Division in Rolling Meadows. “Our team effectively demonstrated how targeting imagery can be relayed to decision makers in real time. Fielding such a capability will greatly increase the situational awareness of our combat forces.”

Litening ER is a self-contained, multisensor laser target designating and navigation system that enables fighter pilots to detect, acquire, track and identify ground targets for highly accurate delivery of both conventional and precision-guided weapons. Litening ER features include a 640 x 512 pixel forward-looking infrared camera; charge-coupled device television; laser spot tracker/range finder; infrared marker; and a laser designator.

In addition to being fielded on Marine Corps AV-8Bs, Litening pods are now in use on U.S. Air National Guard (ANG) and the U.S. Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) F-16s and are operational with the Italian and Spanish navies.

Northrop Grummans Defensive Systems Division is a component of the companys Baltimore, Md.-based Electronic Systems sector, a world leader in the design, development and manufacture of defense and commercial electronics and systems including airborne radar systems, navigation systems, electronic warfare systems, precision weapons, air traffic control systems, air defense systems, communications systems, space systems, marine systems, oceanic and naval systems, logistics systems, and government systems

雖然說只要新東西，交給美國國會的報告
Navy Network-Centric Warfare Concept (PDF 檔)
應該可以拿來做為討論基礎之一，裡面簡略的講了些美國海軍最近的進展。
此篇在2002年十一月更新過。

　　據美國《每日航宇》1月4日報導，為了加快軍事轉型和網路中心戰步伐，美國國防部將研發特殊寬頻帶電子攻擊天線和主動電子掃描陣列天線雷達，因為航空航太工業發展的小型、隱形、多功能天線能力對於美國防部電子攻擊和資訊戰計劃是至關重要的。
　　
　　由於國防部計劃將陳舊的電子干擾飛機諸如海軍的EA-6B“徘徊者”和空軍的EC-130“羅盤呼叫”退出現役，部分新軍事環境將在電子干擾方面有巨大的改變，所以，已不能夠適應新的高科技戰爭需要的電子防空雷達和戰場通信的絕大部分使命將由裝備了特殊寬頻帶電子攻擊天線和主動電子掃描陣列天線雷達的下一代飛機來完成。
　　
　　主動電子掃描陣列天線雷達是由數百、乃至上千的由各種不同的特定形式安裝組合在一起的收發器組成，它能夠同時搜索一個地區、跟蹤一個目標或干擾一個敵方雷達。該雷達可以安裝在F/A-22“猛禽”戰鬥機、F-35“聯合打擊戰鬥機”、F/A-18E/F“超級大黃蜂”、部分F-15戰鬥機、X-45和X-47無人駕駛戰鬥機、多感測器指揮與控制飛機(MC2A)、以及B-2A轟炸機上。透過網路，他們可以對一項分佈式的、高定向的干擾任務有所幫助。
　　
　　這種安裝了主動電子掃描陣列天線的飛機還將加裝高能微波或無線電頻率武器，這樣它就可以攻擊並使敵方電子設備失去作用。航空航太工業還將致力於研發可在防空地點附近投擲到地面的裝置，它可以間隔發射能量脈衝來干擾或導致接受器產生混亂而又不被輕易發現和摧毀。


除了進行中的戰機計畫之外，目前最重要的計畫是MC2A。MC2A希望利用AESA的能力，能夠以一架飛機＝現今E3+E8的能力，甚至要再超過。因為E3的問題是掃瞄能力受限於旋轉天線，而E8的問題是其被動陣列天線雖具有GMTI與SAR兩種功能，卻不能「同時」使用。美軍已經裝備了一架B707進行MC2A的科技驗證，並正在爭取B767實驗機的經費。這將統一目前對空預警機與對地預警機的市場。

6. 能同時產生大量不同型式用途波束的本質 + 精益求精的軟體程式控制 --> 未來的發展潛力與用途無可限量．

我目前只知道相位控制是可以同時在水平和垂直方位上同時進行相位變化而改變波束指向，那頻率改變的只能一個方位，原因呢？

最後，這些科技都太老舊啦，而且將會被全面汰換掉，所以我不想在這個專欄對這種老舊的科技有太多著墨。

例二：
Rafale和EF-2000是同級戰機，但RBE-2的空對空偵測距離（最大偵測距離：148km，對一般戰機大小目標：65至97km）同樣也明顯不及Captor（最大偵測距離：320至370km，對一般戰機大小目標：130至160km）

所以Captor要匿蹤就不能用，就算不用，也還是沒有匿蹤。EF-2000還是把雷達拆掉，換個金屬雷達罩比較實際。

3. 同時指揮導引16枚（一說可高達32枚）ASTER-15/30防空飛彈，同步接戰12個（一說可達16個）空中目標，一旦鎖定目標，數秒內首發ASTER飛彈便可自發射管內昇空迎擊，並可在十秒鍾內接連射出八發。

你前面提到即使是主動天線的角度測量的精度還是有限制，那麼除了多個天線之外，以什麼其他潛在的解決方式？像是使用更小的元件以達到單位面積有更多的TR單元呢？

不同位置的天線的多波束還是同一個天線不同區域發出的多波束？

法蘭西：Arabel

以主動天線來說，一般來講需要多少個元件才能夠成一個有效的波束？不可能是一個，功率太小，那有沒有基本最低要求呢？還是就是看功率需求去臨時組合？

In SIWS, the required I/J-band interrupted continuous wave illumination (ICWI) of targets and missile uplink would be provided by typically two seperate CEA-Mount active phase array tracking radars developed joint by BAE Systems and Australian company CEA Technologies. SIWS was being offered for the now cancelled Royal Australian Navy ANZAC-class warfighting improvement program (WIP) and is now being promoted primarily in South Korea (KDX-3 program) and Turkey (TF-2000 program).

Thompson-CSF在做一種我稱之為”半主動電子掃瞄陣列”，名稱叫Heracles（應該就是英文的Hercules）。AESA基本上是欲小不易的東西，因為它會製造大量廢熱，必須要有冷卻系統（好像還得要是液冷的？！我說錯請糾正我）。那麼小不好做，大會有什麼壞處呢？愈大就意味著波束愈寬，抗干擾、抗雜波的能力愈低。Heracles是什麼呢？說穿了就是在AESA前增加了移相器來作beamforming，各位可以想像AESA前加了一個”電磁透鏡”來使雷達波束”聚焦”和”指向”。它保有AESA的優點，比方說它有16個單元，一次可以打出四道波束，不過缺點是AESA和移相器之間要保持一段距離，所以它會很大，要裝上船只能裝一台，邊旋轉邊掃瞄…

(Source: Australian Defence Organisation; issued Feb. 25, 2003)


Defence and Customs Coastwatch will be better equipped to monitor Australias northern coastline following the signing of a contract to trial a new over-the-horizon high frequency surface wave radar, Defence Minister Robert Hill and Justice and Customs Minister Chris Ellison said today.

Defence and Daronmont Technologies signed a three-year $15 million contract yesterday for the provision, operation and support of the radar, known as SECAR.

On conclusion of Government negotiations for access to appropriate indigenous land, the radar system will be deployed in northern Australia.

The radar can detect surface vessels and low-flying aircraft beyond the visible horizon, unlike conventional radars which are limited in operation to line-of-sight.

The technology will allow 24-hour wide area coast surveillance, enabling authorities to better protect Australias fisheries resources and our offshore oil and gas assets and to deter smugglers and illegal entrants. The monitoring will also help with search and rescue operations and early storm warning.

The trial will allow authorities to test and evaluate the future surveillance potential of the radar, using it to complement other surveillance assets and systems.

The project is a joint venture between Customs Coastwatch and the Department of Defence and will be managed from the Defence Materiel Organisation.

Daronmont Technologies is a wholly Australian owned small/medium enterprise that specialises in design, engineering, integration and support of complex high technology electronics and software-intensive systems, with facilities in Technology Park in South Australia, Williamtown in New South Wales and Burwood in Victoria.

　　据英國《防務數据》2003年2月12日報道，諾斯羅普榆瞉|門公司已完成第一部
生產型多用途電子掃描陣列(MESA)雷達天線系統的初型試驗，該型雷達天線是專為
澳大利亞防空部隊的“楔尾”空中預警和控制(AEW&C;)飛机設計生產的。諾榆璊膝q將
對此雷達天線進行為期14個月的結构疲勞試驗，目前已完成初型試驗。
　　
　　諾榆璊膝q提供的MESA天線由超輕型材料制成，安裝在飛机机身后部頂端，具有
在不用机械式轉動雷達拋物面反射體就能提供360陘閬鴘滷蓬y能力。MESA可應用于
多种監視用途，利用脈沖多普勒雷達模式進行空中搜索，脈沖方式進行海上搜索。
此外，還可用于軍机和民机的敵我識別。
　　
　　預計第一架裝備MESA雷達天線的波音737-700將于2004年第二季度首飛。 (張晉
平 洪山)

(Source: US Air Force; issued Feb. 28, 2003)


HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. --- The Air Force recently designated its new multisensor command and control aircraft the E-10A.

The E designation stands for electrical systems. While the E is specific to the mission of the aircraft, 10 was used simply because it is next in the inventory sequence. The A stands for the first variation of the aircraft.

The Electronic Systems Center here is managing the acquisition and development of the E-10A. Hanscom is also the birthplace of three other Air Force aircraft that share the E designation -- the E-3B Sentry airborne warning and control system aircraft, the E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System and the E-4B, which serves as the National Airborne Operations Center for the president and secretary of defense.

There was talk about creating an M prefix for multisensor, said Col. Joseph Smyth, multisensor command and control aircraft system program director, but it was decided to go with the E designation instead.

The Air Force Program Integration Division at the Pentagon recently approved the designation.

The E-10 multisensor command and control aircraft will provide ground- and some airborne-moving target indication, as well as key battle management command and control. It is expected to be a central element in the Air Forces Command and Control Constellation.

The C2 Constellation is a concept that envisions a fully connected array of land-, platform- and space-based sensors that use common standards and communication protocols to relay information automatically in machine-to-machine interfaces.

Architectural development, system engineering and integration of the Constellation are also being managed here.

(Source: BAE Systems; issued Apr. 9, 2003)


The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has selected BAE Systems to develop miniaturized, unattended ground sensors capable of detecting, identifying and jamming communications and radar threat signals for the WolfPack program.

The Wolfpack program will provide technologies that help the armed forces monitor and disrupt enemy communications and radar signals, while protecting friendly communications.

BAE Systems Information & Electronic Warfare Systems (IEWS), Nashua, New Hampshire, received a two-year, $22.8 million award from DARPAs Advanced Technology Office on March 25.

Aaron Penkacik, vice president of IEWS Advanced Systems and Technology organisation, said, This critical future capability is important to the military. It is likely to change the way our forces prosecute electronic warfare missions such as surveillance and electronic countermeasures.

Wolfpack consists of small, unattended sensors that can be placed at areas of interest by a variety of methods. Once deployed, individual wolves (sensors), self-organize into packs to determine optimum detection and jamming strategies. In each pack, gateway nodes provide data to users, and the system can detect and jam many threat signals.

Wolfpack will use BAE Systems Signal Intelligence Diamond Software Architecture and will be interoperable with the Adaptive Joint C4ISR (Command, Control, Communications, and Computer, Intelligence and Reconnaissance) program, which IEWS is also developing for DARPA.

Wolfpack team members include BAE Systems Integrated Defense Solutions, Austin, Texas; M/A-COM, Lowell, Massachusetts; Herrick Technology Laboratories, Bedford, New Hampshire; Telcordia Technologies, Morristown, New Jersey; and ILC Dover Inc., of Frederica, Delaware.

好像要密碼才能閱讀.....殘念...

收到,了解.

照明雷射是用在ABL計畫上，在發射波動砲之前，先照射目標以測量大氣狀況與距離，調整波動砲的超曲面合金反射器以得到最佳化形狀。

The largest variant is a glider-like design similar to the U-2 reconnaissance aircraft that is optimised for a mission duration of between 50h and 60h. This concept has a 200ft wingspan, a weight of around 100,000lb and a payload largely taken up by long-endurance fuel tanks.

(Source: Markland Technologies; issued May 22, 2003)


RIDGEFIELD, Conn. --- Markland Technologies, Inc., said ongoing US government funded research efforts led by its team of top plasma physicists has the potential to revolutionize radar design concepts employed by the military.

To date research has demonstrated that this new antenna design concept offers unique advantages over traditional metal antennas, which hereto fore have not been found elsewhere in radar antenna design. These unique, demonstrated benefits of a gas plasma antenna make it very attractive in military applications such as: Naval Surface Ship and Submarine Radar, Stealth Aircraft Radar and Ballistic Missile Defense Radar Antennas.

These advantages include:

--Stealth - When de-ionized, a plasma antenna will not backscatter radar waves nor will it absorb high power microwave radiation, which reduces the effects of electronic warfare counter measures.

--Flexibility for numerous signal types - Dynamically re-configurable characteristics such as bandwidth, frequency, gain and directivity.

--Portability for remote deployments - Much more compact and lightweight designs than those offered by conventional antenna designs.

--Greater Efficiency - Significantly reduces ringing effects, which allow for improvements in short pulse radar performance.

Traditional radar antenna design in its most common form employs a conducting metal surface that is sized to emit radiation at one or more selected frequencies. A plasma antenna design employs ionized gas, which is contained within an enclosure. When the gas is electrically charged or ionized to a plasma state it becomes conductive allowing radio frequency signals to be transmitted or received.

To date research has been funded by all three US Military Services and is ongoing. The company believes that its plasma antenna technology will give the military expanded capabilities.