USAF tests new radar receivers for combat rescue helicopters
NewsAugust 18, 2017
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio. Lockheed Martin recently attained Technical Readiness Level (TRL) 6 for its AN/APR-52 Radar Warning Receiver (RWR) -- designed for use on the HH-60W U.S. Air Force Combat Rescue Helicopter (CRH) -- following a successful demonstration at the U.S. Air Force Integrated Demonstrations and Applications Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
The AN/APR-52 RWR, which is part of the HH-60W's Tactical Mission System Defensive Systems Suite, is an all-digital, four-channel radar warning receiver designed to process a large number of signals simultaneously to more quickly and accurately identify threats to the aircrew, even in very dense signal environments. The aim is to provide critical threat-detection capability for personnel-recovery operations for U.S. military services.
The HH-60W helicopter -- built by Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company -- is an advanced variant of the UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter design and features increased internal fuel capability for greater range. The CRH aircraft will feature GE T700-701D engines, composite wide-chord main rotor blades to sustain maneuverability at high-density altitudes, and a new fatigue- and corrosion-resistant machined aerostructure. The helicopter's design includes an advanced Tactical Mission System that integrates multiple sensors, datalinks, defensive systems, and other sources of intelligence information useful for combat-rescue aircrews.
The Integrated Demonstrations and Applications Laboratory, a division of the Sensors Directorate of the Air Force Research Laboratory, focuses on evaluating electronic warfare (EW) technology by enabling high-fidelity simulations in relevant threat environments, similar to what the system will see in actual combat and situations all over the world.
