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| AN/APQ-126 | |
|---|---|
| Name | AN/APQ-126 |
| Country | United States |
| Intro | Airborne radar system |
| Manufacturer | Texas Instruments |
| Introduced | 1960s |
| Type | Weather and navigation radar |
AN/APQ-126 The AN/APQ-126 is an American airborne radar set developed in the 1960s for weather avoidance, terrain mapping, and navigation in tactical and transport aircraft. It saw deployment across multiple United States Air Force, Navy, and allied platforms, integrating into avionics suites alongside inertial navigation systems and communications gear. The radar's development and fielding intersected with programs and institutions such as Texas Instruments, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, United States Air Force, and United States Navy.
The AN/APQ-126 was designed by engineers at Texas Instruments during a period influenced by research from MIT Lincoln Laboratory, Naval Research Laboratory, and contracts overseen by Department of Defense (United States). Development drew upon earlier work embodied in systems like the AN/APQ-117 and the experimental platforms tested at Edwards Air Force Base and Naval Air Station Patuxent River. Programs such as the Avionics Integration Program and initiatives linked to Project Nike and cold war-era procurement with Wright-Patterson Air Force Base logistics informed requirements. Collaborations included subcontractors and component suppliers associated with Raytheon, General Electric, and Bendix Corporation. Testing and certification processes involved units from Air Combat Command and evaluation flights coordinated with RAND Corporation studies on avionics survivability.
Typical installations of the AN/APQ-126 featured an X-band magnetron transmitter and a parabolic or slotted waveguide antenna derived from designs used in AN/APQ-118 family systems. Performance parameters often cited include pulse widths and repetition frequencies compatible with airborne weather mapping and ground clutter rejection algorithms developed in part at Stanford Research Institute. Power amplification stages used vacuum tube and early solid-state hybrid components from suppliers linked to Hughes Aircraft Company and Texas Instruments semiconductor divisions. Range resolution and azimuth accuracy were balanced for low-altitude navigation missions similar to standards employed by aircraft associated with Military Airlift Command and Naval Air Transport Service. Environmental and EMI specifications were tested to criteria comparable with standards promulgated at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and certification labs at National Bureau of Standards.
AN/APQ-126 units were installed on a range of platforms including tactical transports and reconnaissance aircraft deployed by United States Air Force wings, carrier-based squadrons of the United States Navy, and allied air arms such as those of Royal Air Force, Royal Australian Air Force, and Royal Canadian Air Force. Crews operating aircraft fitted with the radar coordinated missions that intersected with activities by units from Tactical Air Command, Strategic Air Command, and NATO formations like Allied Command Europe. Operational doctrine referenced procedures comparable to those in manuals from Air Mobility Command and flight guidance systems integrated with navigation suites produced by Honeywell and Litton Industries. The radar supported missions in theaters associated with Vietnam War logistics, peacetime training flights out of Andrews Air Force Base, and maritime patrol operations connected to United States Pacific Command contingencies.
Over its service life the AN/APQ-126 family received incremental upgrades influenced by avionics modernization roadmaps similar to programs overseen by Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and acquisition reforms championed at the Pentagon. Variants incorporated improved receivers, clutter suppression algorithms pioneered by researchers at University of California, Los Angeles labs, and compatibility with moving map displays developed through collaborations with Garmin predecessors and firms linked to Rockwell Collins. Retrofit kits allowed integration with inertial navigation systems from Honeywell and tactical data links such as those conceptualized in Link 11 and later Link 16 programs. Some upgrade paths paralleled transitions seen in avionics suites on aircraft built by Lockheed, Boeing, and McDonnell Douglas.
Known operators comprised units within United States Air Force, United States Navy, and air arms of allies including Royal Air Force, Royal Australian Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force, and air services of several NATO members such as Germany and Italy. Specific platforms included transport, tanker, and reconnaissance types flown by organizations like Military Airlift Command, Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron, and various NATO squadron assignments under Allied Air Forces Central Europe.
Operational history of platforms fitted with the AN/APQ-126 intersected with incidents and mishaps recorded in safety summaries maintained at Air Force Safety Center and Naval Aviation Safety Center. Investigations into navigational and weather-avoidance failures referenced instrumentation logs archived at National Transportation Safety Board and reviewed by boards convened at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Deployment histories included sustained service during Cold War operations, aerial logistics in the Vietnam War, and peacetime modernization efforts linked to procurement cycles overseen by Defense Logistics Agency.
Category:Aircraft radars