doggychow14 said:
Chinese AWACS has a unique phased array radar (PAR) carried in a round radome. Unlike the U.S. AWACS aircraft, which rotate their rotodomes to give a 360 degree coverage, the radar antenna of the Chinese AWACS does not rotate. Instead, three PAR antenna modules are placed in a triangular configuration inside the round radome to provide a 360 degree coverage.
The Chinese-made airborne earning warning radar system could be similar i
n capability to the IAI Phalcon, but may not be as capable as the latter
from sinodefence
Not wanting to get into a technical dissertation here. But a scanned array typically takes up approx 1/4 of the space of an analogue system. There is no design imperative that would make any modern AWACs use a radome as a digital housing due to:
size,
weight,
drag
efficiency,
all of the above contribute to lousy performance - irrespective of how light you make the housing, it contributes greatly to platform degradation.
and yes, I have seen the inside of an analogue dome and and scanned array and know the internal dimensions differences.
For 1/4 the size you get greater flight range, greater interrogation range, better handling, a wider choice of airfields to use etc etc.....
Personally, if that's what they're saying on that site - I have a
strong doubt that it's what it actually is - no sane designer with access to current technology would be imposing load bearings on an aircraft of that size unless they really had to. - and that means its a design limitation thats necessitated a huge unnecessary dome.
btw, I have seen video footage of a PLAAF aircraft - and I have seen what appeared to be
"it" myself (in Beijing) where the dome is turning - in flight. That of course means that it's not digital.