Saab AB, Today, Saab announces a collaboration with the French company Thales. Together they will develop a new advanced radar based on AESA technology for the Gripen demonstrator, which will be shown for the first time during the day.
“This is a major step in the development of radar and an important collaboration. An AESA radar (Active Electronically Scanned Array) opens a series of new possibilities and functions,” says Peter Andersson, product manager at Saab Microwave Systems.
As opposed to the mechanically controlled antenna currently used in the Gripen radar, which can only illuminate one area at a time, an AESA radar can search larger areas faster, follow more targets in parallel and permits the pilot to operate more flexibly.
The collaboration is for the Gripen demonstrator
The collaboration surrounding the AESA radar started last autumn. Saab Microwave Systems is responsible for the radar system and its capability. Thales contributes with the antenna and Saab Aerosystems is responsible for the integration in the aircraft.
Integration of the complete radar system will continue during 2008 and will be completed in the spring of 2009. The first test flights are planned during the summer of 2009 and thereafter Saab intends to display the system at different customer demonstrations.
AESA technology in more of Saab’s products
That the collaboration is with Thales is explained by Peter Andersson as follows:
“At present Thales is developing an AESA within a French radar programme and, like Saab Microwave Systems, is one of the world leaders within the radar field. Together we can quickly develop a demo-product that can show the markets the advantages of AESA technology. The collaboration over the antenna is also cost effective and is in line with Saab’s overall strategy of finding industrial partners for Gripen.”
But Peter Andersson does not want to speculate whether the collaboration with Thales will continue with the development of AESA radar for the next generation Gripen:
“Our collaboration is for the Gripen demo. We will have to see what happens in the future.”
AESA technology is already in use in several of Saab’s products, such as the Erieye airborne early warning system, the short-range search and acquisition radar Hard, the surveillance radar system Giraffe AMB and the artillery locating radar Arthur.
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