Bienvenidos
Creamos este tema para comentar el devenir de esta plataforma adquirida en 2022 de segunda mano por la Fuerza Aérea de Chile procedente del Reino Unido, de 3 unidades, dos operacionales y una para repuesto.
Si bien es una llegada reciente, el principio de su radar mecánico es incluso anterior al utilizado en el sistema que reemplaza el EB-707 Condor que era de scanner electrónico.
En ese sentido hay noticias en EEUU que hablan de cierta vulnerabilidad de la serie y de sus sistemas actuales de detección (APY-2) ante nuevas amenazas de características stealth e hipersónicas.
Esto en el marco del cabildeo de oficales de la USAF para que el Congreso de EEUU aprobase la inversión en su sucesor, el E-7 Wedgetail con modificaciones solicitadas por la USAF:
The success of American joint forces in a potential conflict with near-peer adversaries such as China or Russia will be dependent on the USAF’s ability to provide warfighters with advanced airborne early warning and control capabilities.
So far, the E-3 Sentry AWACS have fulfilled this role, however, of late, their ability to do so has become increasingly questionable.
In March, the Pacific Air Force Chief, Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach revealed that the E-3 fleet is struggling with maintenance issues, and also it is becoming irrelevant in today’s combat environment.
“We have four of them in PACAF and often all four of them are not able to fly because of maintenance issues,” said Wilsbach.
He added, “When it gets airborne, those sensors that we rely on with the E-3 aren’t capable in the 21st-century fight, especially against a platform like the [Chengdu] J-20 or something similar to that. It just can’t see those platforms far enough out to be able to provide an advantage to the shooters.”
Also, late last year, Kendall in a virtual conference had noted that E-3 AWACs are vulnerable to Chinese long-range PL-15 air-to-air missiles (AAM) which are carried by the Chengdu J-10C, Shenyang J-16, and the Chengdu J-20, aircraft.
The missile is equipped with an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar seeker It is capable of Mach 4 speed – 4 times the speed of sound – and has a range exceeding 200 km.
Representative Image depicting the PL-15 AAM
Reports suggest the AN/APY-1/2 radar inside the E-3’s radar dome (rotodome) offers limited detection of the hypersonic threats and those missile threats with a small radar cross-section.
“The destruction of these aircraft could blind American troops and complicate aircraft operations on the battlefield,” the statement said.
Therefore, the USAF wants to replace the E-3s with E-7 Wedgetail which is a proven platform that has been chosen to equip the air forces of the UK, South Korea, Australia, and Turkey thereby providing interoperability benefits as well.
“The electronically scanned array [of the Wedgetail] is capable of radar beam steering, sector staring and much faster target revisits rates that translate into better target detection and tracking of modern threats well as more robust Electronic Protection that isn’t possible with the mechanically scanned radar used by E-3 AWACS,” the USAF’s 2023 Fiscal Year budget request says.
The USAF has requested $227 million in FY23 to purchase the first Wedgetail prototype. A second prototype is planned to be purchased in FY24, with a production decision expected to be taken in FY25.
www.eurasiantimes.com
Lo anterior, hace preguntarse sobre la viabilidad de upgrades para proyectar su vida útil como el estandar Block 45 a los que los aviones de la USAF se allanan, o si por el contrario, para la FACh valiese la pena explorar otras opciones menos tradicionales, como por ejemplo, una solución de upgrade ad-hoc que contemple una matriz de escaneo electrónico activo y soluciones de data-link / comunicaciones encriptadas compatibles a las que se les instalen a los F-16 FACh en su upgrade anunciado con término a 2032.
Saludos
Creamos este tema para comentar el devenir de esta plataforma adquirida en 2022 de segunda mano por la Fuerza Aérea de Chile procedente del Reino Unido, de 3 unidades, dos operacionales y una para repuesto.
Si bien es una llegada reciente, el principio de su radar mecánico es incluso anterior al utilizado en el sistema que reemplaza el EB-707 Condor que era de scanner electrónico.
En ese sentido hay noticias en EEUU que hablan de cierta vulnerabilidad de la serie y de sus sistemas actuales de detección (APY-2) ante nuevas amenazas de características stealth e hipersónicas.
Esto en el marco del cabildeo de oficales de la USAF para que el Congreso de EEUU aprobase la inversión en su sucesor, el E-7 Wedgetail con modificaciones solicitadas por la USAF:
E-3 Sentry Inadequate To Address Chinese Threat
The success of American joint forces in a potential conflict with near-peer adversaries such as China or Russia will be dependent on the USAF’s ability to provide warfighters with advanced airborne early warning and control capabilities.
So far, the E-3 Sentry AWACS have fulfilled this role, however, of late, their ability to do so has become increasingly questionable.
In March, the Pacific Air Force Chief, Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach revealed that the E-3 fleet is struggling with maintenance issues, and also it is becoming irrelevant in today’s combat environment.
“We have four of them in PACAF and often all four of them are not able to fly because of maintenance issues,” said Wilsbach.
He added, “When it gets airborne, those sensors that we rely on with the E-3 aren’t capable in the 21st-century fight, especially against a platform like the [Chengdu] J-20 or something similar to that. It just can’t see those platforms far enough out to be able to provide an advantage to the shooters.”
Also, late last year, Kendall in a virtual conference had noted that E-3 AWACs are vulnerable to Chinese long-range PL-15 air-to-air missiles (AAM) which are carried by the Chengdu J-10C, Shenyang J-16, and the Chengdu J-20, aircraft.
The missile is equipped with an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar seeker It is capable of Mach 4 speed – 4 times the speed of sound – and has a range exceeding 200 km.
Reports suggest the AN/APY-1/2 radar inside the E-3’s radar dome (rotodome) offers limited detection of the hypersonic threats and those missile threats with a small radar cross-section.
“The destruction of these aircraft could blind American troops and complicate aircraft operations on the battlefield,” the statement said.
E-7 Wedgetail With US Specific Capabilities
Therefore, the USAF wants to replace the E-3s with E-7 Wedgetail which is a proven platform that has been chosen to equip the air forces of the UK, South Korea, Australia, and Turkey thereby providing interoperability benefits as well.
“The electronically scanned array [of the Wedgetail] is capable of radar beam steering, sector staring and much faster target revisits rates that translate into better target detection and tracking of modern threats well as more robust Electronic Protection that isn’t possible with the mechanically scanned radar used by E-3 AWACS,” the USAF’s 2023 Fiscal Year budget request says.
The USAF has requested $227 million in FY23 to purchase the first Wedgetail prototype. A second prototype is planned to be purchased in FY24, with a production decision expected to be taken in FY25.
'Highly Vulnerable' To Chinese PL-15 Missiles, US Air Force Urged To Replace Aging Sentry With Wedgetail AWACS
The US Air Force’s (USAF) decision to replace its aging fleet of E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft with the Boeing E-7 Wedgetail is likely to be delayed till 2027. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall told the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) on May 3 that once...
www.eurasiantimes.com
Lo anterior, hace preguntarse sobre la viabilidad de upgrades para proyectar su vida útil como el estandar Block 45 a los que los aviones de la USAF se allanan, o si por el contrario, para la FACh valiese la pena explorar otras opciones menos tradicionales, como por ejemplo, una solución de upgrade ad-hoc que contemple una matriz de escaneo electrónico activo y soluciones de data-link / comunicaciones encriptadas compatibles a las que se les instalen a los F-16 FACh en su upgrade anunciado con término a 2032.
Saludos
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