The nose of the Japanese P-1 maritime patrol aircraft houses the main Toshiba/TRDI HPS-106
active electronically scanned array (AESA) search radar. Source: j-hangarspace.jp
Photos and
descriptions (above and below) are reproduced on a Thai Military and Asia Region article
https://thaimilitaryandasianregion.wordpress.com/2015/10/15/japan-kawasaki-p-1-patrol-aircraft/
The HPS-106 side-looking radar array is housed beneath
this panel just below the cockpit. Source http://daisetsuzan.blogspot.com/2016/01/kawasaki-p-1-maritime-patrol-aircraft.html
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PETE COMMENT
Desmond Ball and Richard Tanter's, The Tools of
Owatatsumi: Japan’s ocean surveillance and coastal defence capabilities, ANU Press, 2015 Chapter 10 Airborne Ocean Surveillance especially page 82 provides context on Japanese maritime search developments. This includes the HPS-106 search radar, which, when mounted on Japanese P-1 maritime patrol aircraft (MPAs) can search for surfaced submarines (maybe periscopes?) and surface ships, as well as find lost boats. Presumably the US built Poseidon P-8 MPA has radars of similar capabilities.
ARTICLE
wispywood2344 on his/her Japanese website, which
translates as Remembrance of Chiba Silver Pigeon, has written a fine article,
dated April 19, 2018, on the number of antennas and coverage of the HPS-106 search radar used on Japanese P-1 MPAs. Here is part of the article:
MPA as a successor to the P-3C Orion patrol aircraft. The P-1 was developed domestically
at the same time as the Kawasaki C-2 transport aircraft.
The "HPS-106" search radar was developed as a multifunctional radar
system to be mounted on the
P-1 patrol aircraft I was told.
This HPS-106 has multiple active electronically
scanned array (AESA) antennas as antennas for
transmitting and receiving radar
waves. By sending the waves in separate and precise directions
vessels can be located in a patrol area.
Regarding the number of equipments and coverage of
the AESA antenna:
• A total of
4 AESA antennas are installed in each of the front, rear, left and right sides
of the
fuselage, and the entire circumference of 360 degrees in front, rear,
right and left of the
fuselage can be scanned
• There are
blind spots behind the aircraft because the AESA antenna is equipped only with
a total of three sides and the rear of the aircraft is unable to be scanned
There are various ways to find more information, including the
Internet:
(In an English-speaking website, it is common to
see articles with "Wide area scan with 4 AESA equipments" as Wikipedia English
version of P-1, but there are no articles with citations listed. The sources are unknown.)
Since the HPS-106 is an equipment of the Japanese Defense
Force, in order to investigate further, it is nncessary to read official publications of the Ministry of Defense...[Several Tables with descriptions in Japanese follow]
WISPYWOOD2344's WHOLE
ARTICLE (IN JAPANESE) IS HERE.
2 comments:
@Pete:
The USN actually uses a mechanically scanning radar, the APY-10. The reason for this is supposedly because rapid mechanical scanning was found to be superior specifically for periscope detection. The rotator moves so fast in its housing that it is actually stored inside a vacuum sealed sphere:
http://www.navyrecognition.com/images/stories/news/2015/june/Raytheon_AN_APY-10_radar_P-8A_Poseidon.jpg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AN/APY-10
This presumably means a degradation of most other radar modes compared to an AESA set like in the P-1. In the context of USN usage, this is probably an acceptable trade off for periscope detection, both because ASW of D/E boats is a high priority and because the USN envisions their MPAs working with a MQ-4C orbit which would handle long detection and ID of surface traffic.
The P-8 is also slated to be able to be fitted with the APS-149 Littoral Surveillance Radar System which previously was carried by a limited number of P-3Cs for overland use in Afghanistan. This sensor is more of a JSTARS level installation and in fact P-8/APS-149 is being pitched as an off the shelf JSTARS replacement.
Cheers,
Josh
There seems to be some suggestion that the AESA radar can only cover 3 sides. However all sources say that there is 4 antennas which give 360 degree coverage. Close up photos show the side panels beneath the cockpit windows, however the front and rear antennae arent normally so visible. The forward is behind the nosecone fairing, which may contain other sensors and the rear antenna is under the tail just before the MAD boom. The need to consider aerodynamic effects means front and rear antenna dont have externally visible flat plates but they do exist behind the shaped die-electric covering
http://www.heinkel.jp/yspack/ysf_p1_eng.html
https://thaimilitaryandasianregion.wordpress.com/2015/10/15/japan-kawasaki-p-1-patrol-aircraft/
https://www.naval-technology.com/projects/kawasaki-xp-1-maritime-patrol-aircraft/
I have serached for but cant find a better close up of the rear AESA fairing
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