SABR Auto Target Cueing increases F-16 mission capabilities
NewsMay 15, 2013
BALTIMORE. The Northrop Grumman Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR) has demonstrated its autonomous, all-environment Auto Target Cueing (ATC) capability. SABR was designed specifically for the F-16 fighter aircraft, and the ATC precision targeting technology will increase the mission capabilities of F-16 retrofits.
The ATC system leverages high-definition Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images to locate, prioritize, and display targets of interest to the pilot. SABR can perform this and other functions simultaneously thanks to its Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar architecture, and is also compatible with Northrop Grumman F-35 radar systems.
"With SABR, we have built on our F-35 radar investment to bring fifth generation fighter radar capabilities such as ATC to the F-16," said Joseph Ensor, Vice President and General Manager, Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance and Targeting Systems, Northrop Grumman. "Features like ATC, along with the F-35 modes that we have ported to SABR, will enable greater mission effectiveness, reduce pilot workload and provide a better level of situational awareness than F-16 pilots have ever had."
SABR is a full-performance, fire control AESA that is form-fit to the F-16 interface, though it is scalable to other mission areas and platforms. The SABR platform offers extended detection and tracking ranges for F-16 platforms to ensure extended mission effectiveness, and includes interleaved mode operations.
An overview of SABR’s design and features can be viewed in a Northrop Grumman video at http://opsy.st/SABRAESA.
