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US Navy approves Super Hornet IRST for low-rate initial
production
production
The Super Hornet testbed is inspected on 11 February, ahead of the maiden flight with the podded IRST system at Edwards Air Force Base in California. Source: Lockheed Martin
The US Navy (USN) has awarded Milestone C acquisition approval for an infrared search-and-track (IRST) system for the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet combat aircraft, the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) announced on 2 December
Having completed its first flight aboard a Super Hornet in February, the podded AN/ASG-34 IRST will now begin low-rate initial production (LRIP) for six units needed to take the programme forward to initial operating capability IOC
According to NAVAIR, with the awarding of Milestone C, "performance and aeromechanical flight testing will continue to determine the IRST capability's limits within aircraft constraints and to ensure operational stability and safety
Developed by Lockheed Martin, with Boeing and General Electric, the AN/ASG-34 is a passive system geared at giving the Super Hornet the capability to locate and engage airborne and ground targets when use of the Raytheon AN/APG-79 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar would give away the aircraft's position
Unlike most other IRST systems that are fully integrated with their host aircraft, the AN/ASG-34 is designed to be carried in a modified centreline drop tank. Boeing officials have previously told IHS Jane's that locating the IRST underneath the aircraft should have no adverse effect on its ability to identify and track aircraft that might be flying higher than the Super Hornet, and that at 10 miles (16 km) from the target aircraft it will provide unlimited visibility up to 60,000 ft (as high as any target would fly)
Further, officials claim that having a podded system has the advantage of not requiring invasive integration work with the host aircraft, and the pod is able to hold 330 US gallons (1,249 litres) of fuel so little in terms of range is lost
The podded IRST is being developed under a USD135 million engineering, manufacturing, and development (EMD) contract awarded in 2011, and is currently planned to be deployed by 2017
ANALYSIS
Further to the AN/ASG-34 podded IRST, the US Navy and Boeing are set to roll out a number of further enhancements for the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler platforms under the Flight Plan programme. These include advanced fused sensors, an improved AESA radar, counter-electronic attack, Distributed Targeting System, multi-sensor integration, anti-surface warfare, IP-based linked networks, and advanced air-to-ground and air-to-air precision weapons operating on an open architecture
Beyond the Flight Plan improvements, Boeing is developing further enhancements that comprise a fully integrated IRST to be mounted under the aircraft's chin, 'shoulder-mounted' conformal fuel tanks, enclosed weapons pods, an Elbit Systems large area display (LAD) 'glass' cockpit and next-generation avionics, an internal missile and laser warning system, and new General Electric F-414-400 enhanced engines
To date, neither the US Navy or the Royal Australian Air Force (the Super Hornet's and Growler's only two customers to date) have signed up for any of these options, and while previously Boeing officials have stated that the improved economy of the F-414-400 enhanced engines made that upgrade the best bet in the near-term, any plans for a fleet-wide rollout have been stalled by continued budgetary pressures
However, speaking at the IQPC Fighter Conference in London in November, a senior US Navy official said that the service is looking closely at adopting the conformal tanks for the Growler. The advantage of these tanks for this aircraft, he said, is that their location on the upper wing-root means that they do not impede the sensors' downwards view in the same way that underslung drop tanks do
While he did not provide a timeline as to when these tanks might be fitted to the US Navy's aircraft, he did say that the Growler is leading the way in the service's thinking for fitting these Boeing-developed enhancements
The US Navy (USN) has awarded Milestone C acquisition approval for an infrared search-and-track (IRST) system for the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet combat aircraft, the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) announced on 2 December
Having completed its first flight aboard a Super Hornet in February, the podded AN/ASG-34 IRST will now begin low-rate initial production (LRIP) for six units needed to take the programme forward to initial operating capability IOC
According to NAVAIR, with the awarding of Milestone C, "performance and aeromechanical flight testing will continue to determine the IRST capability's limits within aircraft constraints and to ensure operational stability and safety
Developed by Lockheed Martin, with Boeing and General Electric, the AN/ASG-34 is a passive system geared at giving the Super Hornet the capability to locate and engage airborne and ground targets when use of the Raytheon AN/APG-79 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar would give away the aircraft's position
Unlike most other IRST systems that are fully integrated with their host aircraft, the AN/ASG-34 is designed to be carried in a modified centreline drop tank. Boeing officials have previously told IHS Jane's that locating the IRST underneath the aircraft should have no adverse effect on its ability to identify and track aircraft that might be flying higher than the Super Hornet, and that at 10 miles (16 km) from the target aircraft it will provide unlimited visibility up to 60,000 ft (as high as any target would fly)
Further, officials claim that having a podded system has the advantage of not requiring invasive integration work with the host aircraft, and the pod is able to hold 330 US gallons (1,249 litres) of fuel so little in terms of range is lost
The podded IRST is being developed under a USD135 million engineering, manufacturing, and development (EMD) contract awarded in 2011, and is currently planned to be deployed by 2017
ANALYSIS
Further to the AN/ASG-34 podded IRST, the US Navy and Boeing are set to roll out a number of further enhancements for the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler platforms under the Flight Plan programme. These include advanced fused sensors, an improved AESA radar, counter-electronic attack, Distributed Targeting System, multi-sensor integration, anti-surface warfare, IP-based linked networks, and advanced air-to-ground and air-to-air precision weapons operating on an open architecture
Beyond the Flight Plan improvements, Boeing is developing further enhancements that comprise a fully integrated IRST to be mounted under the aircraft's chin, 'shoulder-mounted' conformal fuel tanks, enclosed weapons pods, an Elbit Systems large area display (LAD) 'glass' cockpit and next-generation avionics, an internal missile and laser warning system, and new General Electric F-414-400 enhanced engines
To date, neither the US Navy or the Royal Australian Air Force (the Super Hornet's and Growler's only two customers to date) have signed up for any of these options, and while previously Boeing officials have stated that the improved economy of the F-414-400 enhanced engines made that upgrade the best bet in the near-term, any plans for a fleet-wide rollout have been stalled by continued budgetary pressures
However, speaking at the IQPC Fighter Conference in London in November, a senior US Navy official said that the service is looking closely at adopting the conformal tanks for the Growler. The advantage of these tanks for this aircraft, he said, is that their location on the upper wing-root means that they do not impede the sensors' downwards view in the same way that underslung drop tanks do
While he did not provide a timeline as to when these tanks might be fitted to the US Navy's aircraft, he did say that the Growler is leading the way in the service's thinking for fitting these Boeing-developed enhancements
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