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89-476: (Redirected from AWACS ) Airborne Warning and Control System , or AWACS , may refer to: Airborne early warning and control (AEW&C), a general term for the type of aircraft used in this role Boeing E-3 Sentry , the aircraft developed under the United States Air Force's "Airborne Warning and Control System" program Topics referred to by

178-442: A Pegmantit 10 (NATO: "Knife Rest-B") radar. Three other projects were cancelled before conversions were made. Four Project 640 submarines were converted as radar picket boats between 1959 and 1963 by fitting Project 613 submarines with "Boat Sail" radar in an enlarged conning tower. These were known to NATO as "Whiskey Canvas Bag" submarines from the canvas coverings often put over the radar when NATO aircraft approached. While

267-546: A command ship was needed to escort the carrier and act not only in part as a radar picket (although from the center of the task force rather than the periphery as a true picket would), but also as the radar director of aircraft approach and landing on the carrier. The unfinished heavy cruiser Northampton was converted under project SCB 13 into a command cruiser for this and other fleet command roles, with AN/SPS-2 (one of only two ships with this huge installation), AN/SPS-3, and AN/SPS-8 radars. The subsequent invention of

356-667: 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 installation of equipment at the Il-76 began in late 2002 aircraft by Xian aircraft industries (Xian Aircraft Industry Co.). The first flight of an airplane KJ-2000 made in November 2003. All four machines will be equipped with this type. The last to be introduced into service

445-485: A Russian-made Ilyushin-76 cargo plane [also incorrectly reported as a Beriev A-50 Mainstay] with advanced Elta electronic, computer, radar and communications systems. Beijing was expected to acquire several Phalcon AEW systems, and reportedly could buy at least three more [and possibly up to eight] of these systems, the prototype of which was planned for testing beginning in 2000. In July 2000, the US pressured Israel to back out of

534-535: A control center with a FuMG A1 Freya radar with a range of about 100 km and a directed searchlight for the night fighters. Later versions of the Line added two Würzburg-Riese radars , with a range of about 30 km. Unlike the early-warning Freya, Würzburgs were accurate (and complex) tracking radars. One Würzburg would lock onto the target as soon as the Freya picked it up, and the second Würzburg would lock onto

623-512: A different installation was used to direct Bristol Beaufighters toward Heinkel He 111s , which were air-launching V-1 flying bombs . In February 1944, the US Navy ordered the development of a radar system that could be carried aloft in an aircraft under Project Cadillac. A prototype system was built and flown in August on a modified TBM Avenger torpedo bomber . Tests were successful, with

712-530: A full CIC, and all were used more often in the anti-submarine warfare (ASW) role. All of these aircraft used the AN/APS-20 radar. While the 1957 carrier-compatible Sikorsky HR2S-1W helicopter with the AN/APS-20E or AN/APS-32 radar (sources differ) had room for a full CIC it also failed, largely due to excessive vibration, slow speed, and cost. Another 1945 development was the land based Boeing PB-1W ,

801-478: A major advance in capability, being the first AEW to use a pulse-Doppler radar , which allowed it to track targets normally lost in ground clutter. Previously, low-flying aircraft could only be readily tracked over water. The AWACS features a three-dimensional radar that measures azimuth, range, and elevation simultaneously; the unit installed upon the E-767 has superior surveillance capability over water compared to

890-499: A major asset in an AEW aircraft. Following a crash, the US Navy opted to discontinue lighter than air operations in 1962. In 1958, the Soviet Tupolev Design Bureau was ordered to design an AEW aircraft. After determining that the projected radar instrumentation would not fit in a Tupolev Tu-95 or a Tupolev Tu-116 , the decision was made to use the more capacious Tupolev Tu-114 instead. This solved

979-612: A maximum range of over 850 km at 9,000 metres (30,000 ft) altitude. The Swedish Air Force uses the S 100D Argus ASC890 as its AEW platform. The S 100D Argus is based on the Saab 340 with an Ericsson Erieye PS-890 radar. Saab also offers the Bombardier Global 6000 -based GlobalEye . In early 2006, the Pakistan Air Force ordered six Erieye AEW equipped Saab 2000s from Sweden. In December 2006,

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1068-550: A naval B-17 variant modified under Project Cadillac II to carry the AN/APS-20 radar and a full CIC; this aircraft entered service too late for combat but was used for further development of the AEW concept. Far more successful was the land based Lockheed EC-121 Warning Star , which was introduced in 1954 in both Air Force and Navy service as pickets and in other roles with the AN/APS-20 and AN/APS-45 radars, respectively under and atop

1157-483: A pseudorandom set of frequencies and also have very short scanning rates, which makes them difficult to detect and jam. Up to 1000 targets can be tracked simultaneously to a range of 243 mi (450 km), while at the same time, multitudes of air-to-air interceptions or air-to-surface (including maritime) attacks can be guided simultaneously. The radar equipment of the Israeli AEW&;C consists of each L-band radar on

1246-669: A substantial AEW capability, initially with American Douglas AD-4W Skyraiders , designated Skyraider AEW.1, which in turn were replaced by the Fairey Gannet AEW.3 , using the same AN/APS-20 radar. With the retirement of conventional aircraft carriers, the Gannet was withdrawn and the Royal Air Force (RAF) installed the radars from the Gannets on Avro Shackleton MR.2 airframes, redesignated Shackleton AEW.2. To replace

1335-530: Is considered to be both more capable and less expensive to operate than the older Boeing 707-based Phalcon fleet. In 2017, India announced plans to purchase six airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) ("AWACS") aircraft that can also perform aerial refuelling, with the first two AEW&C aircraft awaiting approval by Cabinet in 2020. However, in September 2021, it was decided to use six Airbus A321s acquired from Air India instead. On 3 June 1957,

1424-488: Is currently in service with Israel, Italy, and Singapore. Instead of using a rotodome, a moving radar was found on some AEW&C aircraft, and the EL/W-2085 used an active electronically scanned array (AESA) – an active phased array radar. This radar consists of an array of transmit/receive (T/R) modules that allow a beam to be electronically steered, making a physically rotating rotodome unnecessary. AESA radars operate on

1513-411: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Airborne early warning and control An airborne early warning and control ( AEW&C ) system is an airborne radar early warning system designed to detect aircraft , ships , vehicles , missiles and other incoming projectiles at long ranges, as well as performing command and control of

1602-542: The Sailfish class , were commissioned. These were designed under project SCB 84 for a high surface speed with the intent of scouting in advance of carrier groups, and were equipped with large BPS-2 and BPS-3 radars. However, the SSRs did not fare well in this mission. Their maximum surfaced speed of 21 knots was too slow to effectively operate with a carrier group, although it was sufficient for amphibious group operations. It

1691-621: The AMES Type 7 radar began to assume the job of tracking of targets once detected, and CH moved entirely to the early warning role. In late 1944 the Fighter Interception Development Squadron carried out operational trials under Operation Vapour of a Vickers Wellington which was equipped with a modified ASV Mk VI radar set and PPI, as one of the first Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) aircraft. It operated at an altitude of 4,000 feet over

1780-860: The Aerospace Defense Command and after May 1958 NORAD . During the 1950s the governments of Canada , Denmark , and the United States built three lines of fixed radar picket sites across Canada, and with the DEW Line into Alaska and Greenland . These were the Pinetree Line (1951), the Mid-Canada Line (1956), and the Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line (1957). The DEW Line would be equipped with AN/FPS-19 , and until 1965 AN/FPS-23 radars. There

1869-454: The Allen M. Sumner s were the first destroyers to be designed with a combat information center (CIC), which made them ideal for this use. Later, additional radars and fighter direction equipment were fitted, along with more light anti-aircraft (AA) guns for self-defense, usually sacrificing torpedo tubes to make room for the new equipment, particularly the large SP height-finding radars of

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1958-729: The Battle of Britain in 1940. The Chain Home network was continually expanded, with over 40 stations operational by the war's end. CH was not able to detect aircraft at low altitude, and from 1939 was normally partnered with the Chain Home Low system which could detect aircraft flying at any altitude over 500 ft (150 m). Ports were covered by Chain Home Extra Low, which gave cover down to 50 ft (15 m) but at shorter ranges of approximately 30 miles (50 km). In 1942

2047-677: The Cold War , the Royal Canadian Air Force and the United States Air Force jointly built and operated radar picket stations to detect Soviet bombers, and the United States Navy expanded the naval radar picket concept. The wartime radar picket destroyers (DDR) were retained, and additional DDRs, destroyer escorts (DER), submarines (SSR, SSRN), and auxiliaries (AGR) were converted and built in

2136-763: The Indian Air Force (IAF) and Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) began a study of requirements for developing an Airborne Early Warning and Control (AWAC) system. In 2015, DRDO delivered 3 AWACs, called Netra , to the IAF with an advanced Indian AESA radar system fitted on the Brazilian Embraer EMB-145 air frame. Netra gives a 240-degree coverage of airspace. The Emb-145 also has air-to-air refuelling capability for longer surveillance time. The IAF also operates three Israeli EL/W-2090 systems, mounted on Ilyushin Il-76 airframes,

2225-659: The Italian Navy is operated from the aircraft carriers Cavour and Giuseppe Garibaldi . During the 2010s, the Royal Navy opted to replace its Sea Kings with a modular "Crowsnest" system that can be fitted to any of their Merlin HM2 fleet. The Crowsnest system was partially based upon the Sea King ASaC7's equipment; an unsuccessful bid by Lockheed Martin had proposed using a new multi-functional sensor for either

2314-579: The Liana (NATO: "Flat Jack") radar was ineffective in tracking low flying targets over land, and suffered from reflections from the aircraft's propellers. The Beriev A-50 "Mainstay" replaced the Tu-126. It first flew in 1978. In 1979 the development of the Yakovlev Yak-44 was begun; this aircraft would have performed the AEW role aboard later Soviet aircraft carriers. It was similar in layout to

2403-790: The NJL Togo . which was equipped with a Freya radar for early warning and a Würzburg-Riese gun laying radar, plus night fighter communications equipment. From October 1943, Togo cruised the Baltic Sea under the operational control of the Luftwaffe . In March 1944, after the three great Soviet bombing raids on Helsinki , she arrived in the Gulf of Finland to provide night fighter cover for Tallinn and Helsinki . The Imperial Japanese Navy briefly modified two Ha-101 -class submarines ( Ha-103 and Ha-105 ) as dedicated radar pickets in

2492-531: The Pakistan Navy requested three excess P-3 Orion aircraft to be equipped with Hawkeye 2000 AEW systems. China and Pakistan also signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the joint development of AEW&C systems. The Hellenic Air Force , Brazilian Air Force and Mexican Air Force use the Embraer R-99 with an Ericsson Erieye PS-890 radar, as on the S 100D. Israel has developed

2581-702: The Thorn-EMI ARI 5980/3 Searchwater LAST radar attached to the fuselage on a swivel arm and protected by an inflatable dome. The improved Sea King ASaC7 featured the Searchwater 2000AEW radar, which was capable of simultaneously tracking up to 400 targets, instead of an earlier limit of 250 targets. The Spanish Navy fields the SH-3 Sea King in the same role, operated from the LPH Juan Carlos I . The AgustaWestland EH-101A AEW of

2670-487: The Turkish Air Force are deploying Boeing 737 AEW&C aircraft. The Boeing 737 AEW&C has a fixed, active electronically scanned array radar antenna instead of a mechanically-rotating one, and is capable of simultaneous air and sea search, fighter control and area search, with a maximum range of over 600 km (look-up mode). In addition, the radar antenna array is also doubled as an ELINT array, with

2759-584: The United States Navy , the Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye AEW&;C aircraft is assigned to its supercarriers to protect them and augment their onboard command information centers (CICs). The designation "airborne early warning" (AEW) was used for earlier similar aircraft used in the less-demanding radar picket role, such as the Fairey Gannet AEW.3 and Lockheed EC-121 Warning Star , and continues to be used by

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2848-467: The angled flight deck made it possible to install islands and radar on supercarriers, and so this role was eliminated from the Northampton conversion. The U.S. Navy continued to develop radar picket submarines (SSRs) after World War II under Project Migraine, and by 1953, a total of 10 new SSR conversions had been performed with SR-2 and SV-2 radars: In 1956 two large, purpose-built diesel SSRs,

2937-848: The battlespace in aerial engagements by informing and directing friendly fighter and attack aircraft . AEW&C units are also used to carry out aerial surveillance over ground and maritime targets , and frequently perform battle management command and control (BMC2). When used at altitude, the radar system on AEW&C aircraft allows the operators to detect, track and prioritize targets and identify friendly aircraft from hostile ones in real-time and from much farther away than ground-based radars. Like ground-based radars, AEW&C systems can be detected and targeted by opposing forces, but due to aircraft mobility and extended sensor range, they are much less vulnerable to counter-attacks than ground systems. AEW&C aircraft are used for both defensive and offensive air operations, and serve air forces in

3026-513: The $ 1 billion agreement to sell China four Phalcon phased-array radar systems. Following the cancelled A-50I/Phalcon deal, China turned to indigenous solutions. The Phalcon radar and other electronic systems were taken off from the unfinished Il-76, and the airframe was handed to China via Russia in 2002. The Chinese AWACS has a unique phased array radar (PAR) carried in a round radome. Unlike the US AWACS aircraft, which rotate their rotodomes to give

3115-613: The 1930s, the British developed a radar set that could be carried on an aircraft for what they termed "Air Controlled Interception". The intention was to cover the North West approaches where German long range Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor aircraft were threatening shipping. A Vickers Wellington bomber (serial R1629) was fitted with a rotating antenna array. It was tested for use against aerial targets and then for possible use against German E boats . Another radar equipped Wellington with

3204-777: The 1950s the Chain Home sites were either retired or converted into the ROTOR network, and then into the Linesman/Mediator network starting in the mid-1960s. The British Royal Navy constructed or converted two types of dedicated aircraft direction ships in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Four World War II Battle-class destroyers and four Weapon-class destroyers were converted 1959–1962 as Fast Air Detection Escorts to accompany fast carrier groups. Also, four Type 61 Salisbury -class frigates were commissioned 1957–1960 to accompany slow carrier or amphibious groups. However,

3293-633: The 1990s. Airborne early warning and control systems (AEW&C, aka AWACS in the U.S.) were developed to replace the AEW radar pickets of the 1960s. These aircraft have capabilities far beyond their predecessors. They can perform complex command and control of a battlespace in air engagements by directing fighter and attack aircraft strikes. AEW&C units are also used to carry out surveillance , including over ground targets and frequently perform BMC2 ( battle management command and control) functions. They are still capable of performing radar picket duties, though they are seldom used in this role. China

3382-688: The AEW role. The "Mainstay" is based on the Ilyushin Il-76 airframe, with a large non-rotating disk radome on the rear fuselage. These replaced the 12 Tupolev Tu-126 that filled the role previously. The A-50 and A-50U will eventually be replaced by the Beriev A-100 , which features an AESA array in the radome and is based on the updated Il-476. In May 1997, Russia and Israel agreed to jointly fulfill an order from China to develop and deliver an early warning system. China reportedly ordered one Phalcon for $ 250 million, which entailed retrofitting

3471-446: The AN/APS-20 radar to the underside of the aircraft; the last of these were retired in 1991. Twenty T43-class minesweepers were converted to Project 254 KVN-50-class radar picket ships between 1955 and 1959. Modifications involved replacing the aft gun turret with a Pegmantit 8 ( NATO reporting name : "Knife Rest-A") or MP-500 radar (NATO: "Big Net") radar. Most were retired during the 1970s or relegated to training duties, with

3560-503: The AN/APY-1 system on the earlier E-3 models. The E-2 Hawkeye was a specially designed AEW aircraft. Upon its entry to service in 1965, it was initially plagued by technical issues, causing a (later reversed) cancellation. Procurement resumed after efforts to improve reliability, such as replacement of the original rotary drum computer used for processing radar information by a Litton L-304 digital computer. In addition to purchases by

3649-647: The APS-120 replaced in succession with the APS-125, −139, −145, and AN/APY-9 radar). Airborne radar had now evolved to the point where it could warn of an incoming attack more efficiently than a surface ship. In 1961 the DDRs and SSRs were withdrawn. All but six DDRs received ASW conversions under the FRAM I and FRAM II programs and were redesignated as DDs; the remaining six were somewhat modernized under FRAM II and retained in

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3738-838: The ASW blimps were retired, having become technically obsolete due to the introduction of higher performance nuclear submarines). They were retired in 1962. The introduction of the Grumman WF-2 Tracer (later the E-1 Tracer) carrier-based airborne early warning aircraft in 1958 with the AN/APS-82 radar followed by the Grumman E-2 Hawkeye with the AN/APS-120 radar in 1964 doomed the surface and submarine radar pickets as carrier escorts (later E-2 models would see

3827-838: The AW101 or another aircraft. The Russian-built Kamov Ka-31 is deployed by the Indian Navy on the aircraft carriers INS  Vikramaditya and INS  Vikrant and also on Talwar -class frigates . The Russian Navy has two Ka-31R variants, at least one of which was deployed on their aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov in 2016. It is fitted with E-801M Oko (Eye) airborne electronic warfare radar that can track 20 targets simultaneously, detecting aircraft up to 150 km (90 mi) away, and surface warships up to 200 km (120 mi) distant. Radar picket Radar picket units may also be equipped to direct friendly aircraft to intercept any possible enemy. In British terminology

3916-513: The Chinese Air Force until the end of 2007. China is also developing a carrier-based AEW&C, Xian KJ-600 via Y-7 derived Xian JZY-01 testbed. The EL/W-2085 is an airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) multi-band radar system developed by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and its subsidiary Elta Systems of Israel. Its primary objective is to provide intelligence to maintain air superiority and conduct surveillance. The system

4005-549: The DDR role. The SSRs were converted to other roles (the Sailfish class was converted to an attack submarine design under project SCB 242), or scrapped. Triton was left without a mission. She was too large to function as an attack submarine; some alternatives were considered, including serving as an underwater national command post , but she eventually became the first US nuclear submarine to be decommissioned, in 1969. By 1965,

4094-759: The DEW Line from Argentia , Newfoundland to the Azores in the Atlantic, and from Adak, Alaska to Midway in the Pacific. From 1955 to 1965 the United States Navy employed Guardian class radar picket ships (converted under project SCB 126 from the former boxed aircraft transport version of the Liberty ship ) to create barrier lines off the East and West Coasts. They were equipped with AN/SPS-8 (later AN/SPS-30 on some ships), AN/SPS-12 , and AN/SPS-17 radars (the last

4183-885: The Grumman E-2 Hawkeye, and it would have carried a NPO Vega pulse-doppler radar in a rotodome. The project was cancelled in 1993. In North America SAGE was replaced with the Joint Surveillance System in 1980-1983, and the DEW line was replaced with the North Warning System in 1988-1993. . In Britain the Linesman/Mediator network would be replaced with the Improved United Kingdom Air Defence Ground Environment in

4272-422: The IAI/Elta EL/M-2075 Phalcon system, which uses an AESA ( active electronically scanned array ) in lieu of a rotodome antenna. The system was the first such system to enter service. The original Phalcon was mounted on a Boeing 707 and developed for the Israeli Defense Force and for export. Israel uses IAI EL/W-2085 airborne early warning and control multi-band radar system on Gulfstream G550 ; this platform

4361-440: The North Sea to control de Havilland Mosquito and Bristol Beaufighter night fighters intercepting Heinkel He 111 bombers flying from Dutch airbases and their V-1 flying bombs. The Wellington was fitted with a homing beacon so the night fighters could locate and keep station with it. Despite encouraging results, the operational trials ended after the Luftwaffe stopped air launches by mid January 1945. The Kammhuber Line

4450-731: The RAF for its Sentry AEW1 , while AEW&C (airborne early warning and control) emphasizes the command and control capabilities that may not be present on smaller or simpler radar picket aircraft. AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) is the name of the specific system installed in the E-3 and Japanese Boeing E-767 AEW&C airframes, but is often used as a general synonym for AEW&C. Modern AEW&C systems can detect aircraft from up to 400 km (220 nmi) away, well out of range of most surface-to-air missiles. One AEW&C aircraft flying at 9,000 m (30,000 ft) can cover an area of 312,000 km (120,000 sq mi). Three such aircraft in overlapping orbits can cover

4539-444: The S-bands. Historically, UHF radars had resolution and detection issues that made them ineffective for accurate targeting and fire control; Northrop Grumman and Lockheed claim that the APY-9 has solved these shortcomings in the APY-9 using advanced electronic scanning and high digital computing power via space/time adaptive processing. The Russian Aerospace Forces are currently using approximately 3-5 Beriev A-50 and A-50U "Shmel" in

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4628-452: The Shackleton AEW.2, an AEW variant of the Hawker Siddeley Nimrod , known as the Nimrod AEW3 , was ordered in 1974. After a protracted and problematic development, this was cancelled in 1986, and seven E-3Ds, designated Sentry AEW.1 in RAF service, were purchased instead. Many countries have developed their own AEW&C systems, although the Boeing E-3 Sentry , E-7A and Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye and Gulfstream/IAI EL/W-2085 are

4717-409: The US Navy, the E-2 Hawkeye has been sold to the armed forces of Egypt , France , Israel , Japan , Singapore and Taiwan . The latest E-2 version is the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye , which features the new AN/APY-9 radar. The APY-9 radar has been speculated to be capable of detecting fighter-sized stealth aircraft, which are typically optimized against high frequencies like Ka, Ku, X, C and parts of

4806-463: The US radar picket submarines were intended for fleet defense, the Project 640 boats were intended to provide warning of air attacks on Soviet coastal territory. In 1958 the Soviet Union began development of an aircraft intended to act as an airborne early warning (AEW) radar picket in the far north along the Arctic coast, so that the expense of land stations could be avoided. The result, the Tupolev Tu-126 (NATO: "Moss"), entered service in 1965, but

4895-581: The United States until the Ohio class Trident missile submarines of the 1980s, Triton' s two reactors - the only US submarine so powered - allowed her to exceed 30 knots on the surface. The 26 wartime Gearing -class DDRs were supplemented by nine additional conversions during the early 1950s. The seven wartime DERs were not considered worth modernizing and were relegated to secondary roles, so 36 additional DER conversions were performed in 1951 through 1958: The DERs were used in 1955–1965 to form two Barrier Forces known as BarLant and BarPac, which extended

4984-419: The aircraft direction function was short-lived. With the mid-1960s decision to phase out the fast carriers, the Battle -class ships were placed in reserve 1966–1968 and were scrapped or converted to non-combat roles by 1974. The Salisbury class were relegated to non-combat roles or sold by the end of 1978. The Royal Navy began to operate the AEW version of the Douglas Skyraider in 1951. A more capable aircraft

5073-404: The aircraft. As pickets the Air Force EC-121s provided radar coverage by flying "Contiguous Barrier" orbits 300 miles offshore, between the coasts and the AGR Guardian picket lines. The Navy version (designated PO-1W, then WV-1, −2, and −3 before 1962 ) flew over the more distant BarLant and BarPac DER lines. They would later be re-equipped with AN/APS-95 and AN/APS-103 radars. Their main deficiency

5162-432: The consequence of lessons learnt by the Royal Navy during the 1982 Falklands War when the lack of AEW coverage for the task force was a major tactical handicap, and rendered them vulnerable to low-level attack. The Sea King was determined to be both more practical and responsive than the proposed alternative of relying on the RAF's land-based Shackleton AEW.2 fleet. The first examples were a pair of Sea King HAS2s that had

5251-512: The defenses being overwhelmed. In response, the Germans converted their ground radar into a radar network, which would follow the path of the British bombers, while a controller directed the night fighters into the stream. Measure and counter measure continued until October 1944, when German defenses were no longer able to respond to Germany's deteriorating situation. From 1943 Nazi Germany 's Kriegsmarine operated several radar-equipped night fighter guide ships ( Nachtjagdleitschiffe ), including

5340-673: The development of over-the-horizon radar (OTH) made the barrier forces obsolete, and the DERs and the AGR Guardians were retired. The EC-121s would be allocated to other roles. OTH radar also played a small part in the retirement of the obsolete Pinetree Line, Mid-Canada Line, and the AN/FPS-23 radars of the DEW Line. The final use of the radar picket concept by the US Navy was in the Vietnam War . The Gulf of Tonkin Positive Identification Radar Advisory Zone ( PIRAZ ) guided missile cruisers (and destroyer leaders aka frigates which would later be redesignated as cruisers in 1975) provided significant air control and air defense in that war. In

5429-409: The era. Deploying some distance from the force to be protected along likely directions of attack, radar pickets were the nearest ships to the Japanese airfields. Thus, they were usually the first vessels seen by incoming waves of kamikazes, and were often heavily attacked. The radar picket system saw its ultimate development in World War II in the Battle of Okinawa . A ring of 15 radar picket stations

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5518-570: The first half of 1945, but reconverted them to an even more important role as tanker submarines in June of that year. Radar picket ships first came into being in the US Navy during World War II to aid in the Allied advance to Japan . The number of radar pickets was increased significantly after the first major employment of kamikaze aircraft by the Japanese in the Battle of Leyte Gulf in October 1944. Fletcher -class and Allen M. Sumner -class destroyers with SGA and SC radars were pressed into picket service with few modifications at first –

5607-408: The first of 2 HR2S-1W, a derivative of the Sikorsky CH-37 Mojave , was delivered to the US Navy, it used the AN/APS-32 but proved unreliable due to vibration. The British Sea King ASaC7 naval helicopter was operated from both the Invincible -class aircraft carriers and later the helicopter carrier HMS  Ocean . The creation of Sea King ASaC7, and earlier AEW.2 and AEW.5 models, came as

5696-605: The first of which first arrived on 25 May 2009. The DRDO proposed a more advanced AWACS with a longer range and with a 360-degree coverage akin to the Phalcon system, based on the Airbus A330 airframe, but given the costs involved there is also the possibility of converting used A320 airliners as well. IAF has plans to develop 6 more Netra AEW&CS based on Embraer EMB-145 platform and another 6 based on Airbus A321 platform. These systems are expected to have an enhanced performance including range and azimuth The Royal Australian Air Force , Republic of Korea Air Force and

5785-409: The interim Lashup Radar Network (1949), the Permanent System (1951), and Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) (1958), would function as pickets for areas removed from suspected airborne attackers. When the first supercarrier United States was being designed in 1946, it was thought she would not be able to have an island or masts for radar or other antennas. Therefore, it was decided that

5874-410: The last withdrawn in 1987. Fourteen further T43-class minesweepers were converted to Project 258 KVN-6-class radar picket ships between 1973 and 1977 with Kaktus radars. Some were later modified to Project 258M ships with Rubka (NATO: "Strut Curve") radars. Three T58-class minesweepers were converted to radar picket ships between 1975 and 1977 by replacing the aft 57 mm gun turret with

5963-449: The last years of World War II under Project Cadillac . The first U.S. AEW aircraft were the 1945 carrier based Grumman TBM-3W Avenger under Project Cadillac I, followed by the 1948 Douglas AD-3W, −4W, and −5W Skyraider and the 1950 Grumman AF-2W Guardian (not to be confused with the AGR ships of the same name); though the Skyraiders and Guardians were built in large numbers, none were very successful as they were too small to function as

6052-480: The left and right sides of the fuselage and each S-band antenna in the nose and tail. The phased array allows aircraft positions on operator screens to be updated every 2–4 seconds rather than every 10 seconds, as is the case on the rotodome AWACS. ELTA was the first company to introduce an Active Electronically Scanned Array Airborne (AESA) Early Warning Aircraft and implement advanced mission aircraft using efficient, high-performance business jet platforms. In 2003,

6141-410: The most common systems worldwide. Boeing produces a specific system with a " rotodome " rotating radome that incorporates Westinghouse (now Northrop Grumman ) radar. It is mounted on either the E-3 Sentry aircraft ( Boeing 707 ) or more recently the Boeing E-767 ( Boeing 767 ), the latter only being used by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force . When AWACS first entered service it represented

6230-416: The night fighter as soon as it entered the box, thereby allowing controllers to get continual readings of the positions of both planes. The Line was very effective against early RAF Bomber Command tactics. However, on the night of 30/31 May 1942 in its 1,000 plane raid against Cologne, Bomber Command introduced the use of the bomber stream . The concentration of bombers through a few of the boxes resulted in

6319-414: The problems with cooling and operator space that existed with the narrower Tu-95 and Tu-116 fuselage. To meet range requirements, production examples were fitted with an air-to-air refueling probe. The resulting system, the Tupolev Tu-126 , entered service in 1965 with the Soviet Air Forces and remained in service until replaced by the Beriev A-50 in 1984. During the Cold war, United Kingdom deployed

6408-442: The radar picket function is called aircraft direction . A ship performing this function is termed a fighter direction ship . Airborne radar pickets are referred to as Airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) or simply airborne early warning (AEW), depending on capabilities. In a sense radars intended to track ballistic missiles can be thought of as radar pickets (the early US Ballistic Missile Early Warning System - BMEWS

6497-563: The same radar. The Lockheed WV and EC-121 Warning Star , which first flew in 1949, served widely with US Air Force and US Navy. It provided the main AEW coverage for US forces during the Vietnam war. It remained operational until replaced with the E-3 AWACS. Developed roughly in parallel, N-class blimps were also used as AEW aircraft, filling gaps in radar coverage for the continental US, their tremendous endurance of over 200 hours being

6586-410: The same role as what the combat information center is to naval warships , in addition to being a highly mobile and powerful radar platform. So useful and advantageous is it to have such aircraft operating at a high altitude, that some navies also operate AEW&C aircraft for their warships at sea, either coastal- or carrier-based and on both fixed-wing and rotary-wing platforms. In the case of

6675-467: The same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Airborne Warning and Control System . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Airborne_Warning_and_Control_System&oldid=1155079877 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description

6764-661: The system being able to detect low flying formations at a range greater than 100 miles (160 km). US Navy then ordered production of the TBM-3W, the first production AEW aircraft to enter service. TBM-3Ws fitted with the AN/APS-20 radar entered service in March 1945, with 27 eventually constructed. It was also recognised that a larger land-based aircraft would be attractive, thus, under the Cadillac II program, multiple Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress bombers were also outfitted with

6853-517: The whole of Central Europe . AEW&C system indicates close and far proximity range on threats and targets, help extend the range of their sensors, and make offensive aircraft harder to track by avoiding the need for them to keep their own radar active, which the enemy can detect. Systems also communicate with friendly aircraft, vectoring fighters towards hostile aircraft or any unidentified flying object. After having developed Chain Home —the first ground-based early-warning radar detection system—in

6942-489: The years 1946–1959. The naval concepts were: 1) every carrier group would have radar pickets deployed around it for early warning of the increasing threat of Soviet air-to-surface missile attack, and 2) radar pickets would form barriers off the North American coasts, thus extending the land based lines. While on station, all of these assets – other than those assigned to fleet defense – were operationally controlled by

7031-503: Was about 30–45 days out and 15 days in port. While on station, each ship stayed within a specific radius of its assigned picket station, reporting and tracking all aircraft contacts. Each ship carried qualified air controllers to direct intercept aircraft sent out to engage contacts. While on station additional duties such as search and rescue, weather reporting, fishery studies, and other miscellaneous duties were assigned. The U.S. Navy began to develop airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft in

7120-789: Was also a line of radar sites in Alaska extending westward from the end of the DEW Line to the end of the Aleutian Islands , and a line eastward from the Greenland end of the DEW Line to Iceland , the Faroe Islands , and Scotland . There were also three oil-rig-type offshore radar stations known as " Texas Towers " off the New England coast with AN/FPS-3 (later AN/FPS-20) and AN/FPS-6 radars. While not designed as pickets per se , coastal and interior fixed radars such as

7209-521: Was desired, and the Fairey Gannet AEW.3 was the winner of a competition to replace the Skyraiders. Using the same AN/APS-20 radar as the Skyraiders, the Gannets entered service in 1960 and remained until the last full deck carrier was retired in 1978. In anticipation of the retirement of the Gannets, in 1972 the RAF converted 12 Avro Shackleton maritime patrol aircraft to an AEW configuration by adding

7298-785: Was established around Okinawa to cover all possible approaches to the island and the attacking fleet. Initially, a typical picket station had one or two destroyers supported by two landing ships, usually landing craft support (large) (LCS(L)) or landing ship medium (rocket) (LSM(R)) , for additional AA firepower. Eventually, the number of destroyers and supporting ships were doubled at the most threatened stations, and combat air patrols were provided as well. In early 1945, 26 new construction Gearing -class destroyers were ordered as radar pickets without torpedo tubes, to allow for extra radar and AA equipment, but only some of these were ready in time to serve off Okinawa. Seven destroyer escorts were also completed as radar pickets. The radar picket mission

7387-714: Was lack of endurance, which made them unsuitable for naval fleet coverage. Perhaps the most successful airborne radar pickets were the nine Goodyear ZPG-2W and ZPG-3W blimps : the −2W blimps were equipped with the AN/APS-20 and AN/APS-69 radars in an arrangement similar to the EC-121s, while the −3W blimps (the largest ever built) had the large AN/APS-70 radar placed inside their gas envelopes. Starting in 1955 they successfully combined airborne early warning radar surveillance and long endurance in all possible roles, but they were fragile, too slow to quickly reach stations far from base, and expensive (their overhead costs also increased after

7476-428: Was originally termed as such), but because such systems also came to be used for tracking orbital satellites and space debris the current preferred term for them is space domain awareness systems . Chain Home or CH was the codename for the ring of coastal early warning radar stations built by the Royal Air Force (RAF) before and during World War II to detect and track aircraft. Chain Home proved decisive during

7565-498: Was planned to employ converted radar picket submarines should the invasion of Japan become necessary. Two submarines ( Grouper and Finback ) received rudimentary conversions during the war with the new SR search radars and the SV search radars mounted vertically as height finders, and two others ( Threadfin and Remora ) were completed immediately after the war with the same suite, but none were used postwar in this role. During

7654-610: Was specially designed for these ships). Eight were homeported at Treasure Island, California and eight at Davisville, Rhode Island . The hull classification symbol of the ships was initially YAGR, changed to AGR in 1958 (this change moved the ships from the naval yard and district craft category to the naval auxiliary category). The standard crew consisted of 13 officers, 8 chief petty officers, and 125 enlisted. Picket stations were about 400–500 miles (640–800 km) off each coast and provided an overlapping radar or electronic barrier against approaching aircraft. Typical station duty

7743-557: Was the Allied name given to the German night air defense system established in July 1940 by Colonel Josef Kammhuber . The first version of the Line consisted of a series of 'boxes' of radar stations with overlapping coverage, layered three deep from Denmark to the middle of France, each covering a zone about 32 km long (north-south) and 20 km wide (east-west). Each station consisted of

7832-477: Was thought that nuclear power would solve this problem. The largest, most capable, and most expensive radar picket submarine was the nuclear-powered USS  Triton  (SSRN-586) , designed under project SCB 132 and commissioned in 1959 with the AN/SPS-26 radar (an electronically scanned radar fully adapted for submarine use and intended for Triton , BPS-10, was never completed). The longest submarine built by

7921-440: Was vital, but it was also costly to the ships performing it. Out of 101 destroyers assigned to radar picket stations, 10 were sunk and 32 were damaged by kamikaze attacks. The 88 LCS(L)s assigned to picket stations had two sunk and 11 damaged by kamikazes, while the 11 LSM(R)s had three sunk and two damaged. The high casualties off Okinawa gave rise to the radar picket submarine, which had the option of diving when under attack. It

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