In an interview with Defense News, engineers from the Italian defense conglomerate Leonardo revealed details about the new MRFS (Multi-Function Radar Frequency System) radar that will equip the BAe Systems Tempest, a sixth-generation fighter concept under development by the United Kingdom, Italy and Sweden. .
MRFS will collect and process 10.000 times more data than existing systems. This is equivalent to the internet traffic of a big city every second. The company also stated that the subsystems have already been successfully built and tested, paving the way for future airborne tests.
To improve radar performance, engineers had to completely rethink the technology used in today's AESA (Active Electronically Scanned) radars, where the basic concept involves an antenna made up of a grid of small Transmit and Receive Modules (TRM) .
TRMs are like small antennas that can create their own radar beam or together to create a larger beam. The grid is divided into smaller groups, where each one is assigned to a receiver located behind the antenna, due to its size, where the signal is digitized before being sent to the processor. Due to this placement, the analogue signal has to be transferred via coaxial cables, which however causes some data loss in the process.
To avoid this data loss, Leonardo is working on miniaturized receivers that can be integrated into the antenna, eliminating the need for a coaxial cable and reducing data loss. Using fiber optic cables can further reduce data loss when the digital signal is sent from the receiver to the processor.
“Miniaturized receivers can digitize the signal inside the antenna much earlier in the reception chain,” said the project's lead engineer, Tim Bungey.
“Scanning the data closer to the matrix means more data can be received and transmitted. Data can be handled more flexibly and there is more potential to use radar as a multi-purpose sensor, such as for data linking and electronic warfare.” completed Bungey.
Duncan McCrory, Leonardo's chief engineer for Tempest, the MRFS will be integrated into the Tempest Mission System, which incorporates full electronic warfare suites, defense assistance capabilities, an extensive communications system, and the use of electro-optical and infrared sensors ( EO/IR) for aiming, target acquisition and situational awareness.
According to McCrory, “The data captured by these systems will be combined to create a comprehensive picture of situational awareness for the crew. This information will also be combined with data received from other aircraft and unmanned systems, with the concept of machine learning being employed to combine and process the overall picture of situational awareness for the crew.”
In this way, the crew will not suffer from information overload, allowing a quick absorption of data and decision-making based on properly processed and validated information, responding "quickly address threats in highly contested environments."
The focus of the Tempest's development is its systems, that is, the aircraft is being developed from the inside out. The aircraft is not yet in its final concept, and its design could be changed to reflect changes in internal systems, which was confirmed by McRory.
“We are effectively deg the aircraft from the inside out; by that I mean we are working closely with the MoD to understand future detection, communication and effects capability requirements and then working with Team Tempest partners to ensure the aircraft can accommodate and the necessary avionics systems”, stated McRory.
Last month, Italian Defense Minister Lorenzo Guerini, British Secretary of State for Defense Ben Wallace and Swedish Defense Minister Peter Hultkvist signed a trilateral Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation for the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) ,
The memorandum covers cooperation for research, development and t design of Tempest, with the aim of obtaining an equal participation of the signatory countries in activities related to the program, with positive effects for each self-defense industry, small and medium-sized companies, research institutes and universities.
With Defense News e The Aviationist
