레이다 미해군 항공모함에 탑재된 신형 Mk.24 Mod0 자체방어시스템용 레이다

[위종민]

CVN-76 USS 로널드 레이건을 대체해 일본에 배치된 CVN-73 USS 조지 워싱턴이 2024년 10월 요코스카에 입항할 때 함의 우현, 좌현, 함미에 새로운 장비가 설치된 게 포착됐었네요. 전자전장비라는 추정이 있었는데, 명판을 보니 Mk.24 Mod0 레이다 센서 어셈블리라고 적혀있었고, 제작사인 RTX는 CIWS 및 RAM을 보조하는 자체방어시스템의 일부인 레이다라고 합니다. 

기사에서는 APG-79 AESA 레이다 기반일 것이라고 보고, 탐지거리는 150km 이상일 거라고 추정하네요. 

현재까지 이 레이다는 조지워싱턴함 외에 CVN-70 USS 칼 빈슨, CVN-71 USS 시어도어 루즈벨트, CVN-72 USS 에이브러햄 링컨 함에 설치돼 있고 모두 태평양 쪽에 배치돼 있다고 합니다. 

Mysterious new system aboard US aircraft carriers identified as MK24 MOD0 Radar - Naval News

Mysterious new system aboard US aircraft carriers identified as MK24 MOD0 Radar - Naval News

Mk24 MOD0 Radar aboard USS George Washington. All pictures by Yoshihiro Inaba.

Mysterious new system aboard US aircraft carriers identified as MK24 MOD0 Radar

U.S. Navy aircraft carriers deployed in the Indo-Pacific region have recently been equipped with a mysterious new device. At first glance, it appears to be related to electronic warfare. But it actually fulfills a different role. Naval News was able to investigate and is now able to reveal the true role of the "Mk24 MOD0"

Yoshihiro Inaba  15 Jan 2025

In October 2024, the aircraft carrier USS George Washington entered the U.S. Navy’s Yokosuka base (U.S. Fleet Activities Yokosuka) in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. The carrier is replacing the USS Ronald Reagan, which had been forward-deployed to Yokosuka since 2015. This marks the George Washington‘s second deployment to Japan, the first being in 2009. Notably, the vessel was equipped with a peculiar device. Resembling some sort of antenna at first glance, the device was installed in three locations: the starboard side, port side, and the aft section of the ship.

This device was first reported by The War Zone in 2021 and had been speculated to be related to electronic warfare. As of now, all carriers equipped with this device are deployed in the Pacific region. Based on the author’s observations, the carriers outfitted with this system include the USS George Washington, USS Carl Vinson, USS Theodore Roosevelt, USS Abraham Lincoln, and USS Ronald Reagan. Its true nature remained a mystery for some time, but during a media visit aboard George Washington in Yokosuka, the author uncovered the device’s true identity.

During the media visit to the flight deck, Naval News was able to photograph the mysterious device mounted on the port side. A nameplate attached to it read: “MK24 MOD0 Radar Sensor Assembly”. This confirmed that the device is not related to electronic warfare but is, in fact, a radar system.

In addition to its name, the nameplate also displayed the manufacturer of the device: Raytheon, now known as RTX, a major U.S. defense contractor. Naval News reached out to RTX to inquire on the “MK24 MOD0”. The company’s response, while limited, sheds some light on the role of the system:

“The system is part of the Carrier Self Defense system and aids CIWS and RAM for threat detection.”

In other words, this device appears to be a radar designed to detect threats at greater distances or to identify low-flying missiles, enhancing the effectiveness of systems like the Phalanx CIWS (Close-In Weapon System) and RAM (Rolling Airframe Missile). Considering the placement and angles of the devices, it is likely that they provide the carrier with nearly 360-degree threat detection coverage.

What stands out is the question of what this device was based on. Considering the rapid pace at which it was deployed on carriers, it seems more likely to be a system developed swiftly and reliably using an existing platform rather than one built entirely from scratch. Given that the manufacturer is RTX, a logical candidate for its foundation would be the APG-79 AESA radar. The size of the device, along with its configuration—apparently divided into two major components: the front antenna section and the processing unit behind it—further suggests that it may have been developed based on a fighter aircraft radar system. If this is the case, the radar is expected to have a detection range of approximately 150 km or more, and it is likely capable of detecting small, low-RCS (Radar Cross Section) missiles thanks to the use of X-band.

In brief, Naval News believes the new MK24 MOD0 radar system provides the aircraft carriers with a dedicated detection, tracking, cueing capability for self-defense against low observable, very low flying, and surface, threats. Given the advances in military capabilities of China, which the U.S. Navy is facing in the Indo-Pacific region, this system is an important upgrade to enhance aircraft carriers’ defense and ensuring their operational effectiveness.

Tags Aircract Carrier Radar US Navy

[백선호]

1980년대에 SM-1을 단 대만해군의 Gearing형 구축함에 달린 W-160 레이다는 F-16A/B의 APG-66에서 파생된 것이었다고 합니다.

[위종민]

https://www.radartutorial.eu/19.kartei/11.ancient2/karte092.en.html

트랙 데이터도 생성하는 target illumination radar 였다고 하는데, 단일표적만 비추는 APG-66의 보어사이트 모드만 구현시켜 놓은 물건이었을지..