시험기 A320을 개조한 ECRS Mk.1 레이다 시험기가 첫 비행 실시

[위종민]

유로파이터에 장착할 ECRS Mk.1 레이다를 장착한 A320 개조 시험기 ATRA(advanced technology research aircraft)가 1월 21일 독일 DLR 항공우주연구센터 브라운슈바이크 공장에서 첫 비행을 실시했네요. 

Germany flies A320 testbed modified to carry Eurofighter’s ECRS Mk1 radar | News | Flight Global

Germany flies A320 testbed modified to carry Eurofighter’s ECRS Mk1 radar

Germany flies A320 testbed modified to carry Eurofighter’s ECRS Mk1 radar

By 

Craig Hoyle23 January 2025

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Germany’s DLR aerospace research centre has completed the first flight of an Airbus A320 adapted to conduct airborne testing of an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar for Eurofighter operator nations Germany and Spain.

Conducted from the DLR’s Braunschweig site on 21 January, the sortie involved its A320 advanced technology research aircraft (ATRA), which has been equipped with a Eurofighter nose section.

Source: Airbus Defence & Space

First flight of newly modified A320 took place from the DLR’s Braunschweig site on 21 January

Airbus says the integration activity required its engineers to design “a complete new front section” to accommodate the radome and sensor, along with making structural reinforcements to the narrowbody’s airframe.

“The teams will, in a next step, also install extensive test equipment in the A320 ATRA cabin, including a customised Eurofighter avionic test rig and supporting cooling and power infrastructure,” Airbus Defence & Space says.

Source: A320 ATRA front

Narrowbody will support testing of ECRS Mk1 AESA radar for Eurofighter combat aircraft

Flight-testing will begin later this year using the ECRS Mk1 AESA, which will be integrated with new-build Eurofighters on order for Berlin and Madrid, and also introduced via retrofit work as a replacement for the type’s original mechanically-scanned Captor radar.

“We are operating the aircraft in close collaboration with the DLR and the German armed forces to test a new radar for the Eurofighter and bring it to maturity,” says Airbus Defence & Space E-Scan radar project manager Thomas Hirsch.

“The A320 ATRA has a significantly shorter clearance process and can stay in the air longer than a Eurofighter,” he notes. “This means that the testing time in a real-life environment is considerably earlier, quicker and with a longer duration. These aspects significantly speed up the radar development process.”

The ECRS Mk1 sensor will be installed on 38 German Eurofighters via the nation’s Quadriga acquisition, along with 20 for Spain through its Halcon I procurement. The nations also are to acquire a combined 45 additional examples of the combat aircraft through follow-on orders.

Source: Airbus Defence & Space

Germany will receive 38 new Eurofighters via its Quadriga acquisition

Berlin in late 2023 indicated that the new AESA radar would also be installed across its fleet of already in-service Eurofighters.

Aircraft integration activities for the partner nations will be led by Airbus Defence & Space, with radar work being respectively headed by Euroradar consortium companies Hensoldt (Germany) and Indra (Spain).

In addition to the forthcoming work with the A320 ATRA platform, Spain in December 2024 performed the first flight of a Eurofighter test aircraft carrying the ECRS Mk1.

Airbus notes that the AESA radar update will “improve the Eurofighter’s capabilities in air-to-air and air-to-ground operations and also equip it with electronic warfare functions”.

Separately, fellow Eurofighter partner the UK is advancing work on a Leonardo UK-led ECRS Mk2 radar, with a prototype having been flown on the fighter from BAE Systems’ Warton site in Lancashire last September. The sensor will be installed on Tranche 3 production aircraft for the Royal Air Force, with the combination due to enter operational use by 2030.

[백선호]

유로파이터가 처음에는 모두 같은 CAPTOR 레이다를 쓰다가 이제 막 갈라지네요.

[위종민]

에어버스 산하 군수회사들이 사명은 통합돼도 내부에서 굴러가는 건 따로국밥인 경우가 많은 것 같습니다.