Common Radar Electronic Architecture

Common Radar Electronic Architecture
Name	Common Radar Electronic Architecture
Caption	Conceptual block diagram of radar electronic architecture
Type	Electronic system architecture
Introduced	21st century
Used by	Various defense and civil agencies

Common Radar Electronic Architecture Common Radar Electronic Architecture is an engineering framework that defines the arrangement and interaction of radar subsystems across platforms such as Lockheed Martin, Raytheon Technologies, Northrop Grumman, BAE Systems, and Thales Group. It addresses interfaces among transmitters, receivers, processors, and support elements used in programs like AN/APG-79, SAMPSON radar, SMART-L, AESA developments and radar modernization initiatives associated with F-35 Lightning II, Eurofighter Typhoon, Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, and civil projects involving Federal Aviation Administration collaborations. The architecture supports interoperability requirements from organizations including NATO, European Defence Agency, U.S. Department of Defense, DARPA, and industrial consortia such as Future Combat Air System participants.

Introduction and Overview

The architecture organizes modules to meet requirements from stakeholders like U.S. Air Force, Royal Air Force, Israeli Air Force, and integrators tied to platforms such as Boeing, Airbus, Dassault Aviation and shipyards such as Ingalls Shipbuilding. It balances considerations driven by standards bodies like IEEE, RTCA, SAE International, and procurement agencies such as Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and UK Ministry of Defence. Historical programs influencing the architecture include projects by MIT Lincoln Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories, and research centers at Texas Instruments and General Dynamics, with supply-chain partners such as Analog Devices, National Instruments, and Keysight Technologies.

Transmitter Subsystem

The transmitter block traces lineage through devices produced by firms like Hughes Aircraft Company and Magnavox and modern implementations from BAE Systems Electronic Systems or Thales Alenia Space. Key components—high-power amplifiers, modulators, and solid-state drivers—are specified to support platforms such as MQ-9 Reaper, Patriot (missile), Aegis Combat System, and experimental arrays funded by ONR or NSTec. Waveform generation links to development efforts at MIT, Stanford University, Caltech, and industrial labs at Honeywell and UTC Aerospace Systems. Power electronics suppliers like GE Aviation and Rockwell Collins influence modulator and pulse-forming network choices.

Receiver and Signal Conditioning

Receiver front ends reflect heritage from designs at Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems and earlier work at Bell Labs and RCA Corporation. Low-noise amplifiers, mixers, and filters incorporate components developed by Nokia Bell Labs researchers and semiconductor partners such as Intel, NXP Semiconductors, and Infineon Technologies. Receiver architectures must integrate with antenna systems from Cobham, Meggitt, and Kongsberg, and accommodate environmental standards applied by Lloyd's Register and Det Norske Veritas. Test and calibration regimes often utilize equipment from Tektronix and Rohde & Schwarz.

Digital Signal Processing and Data Handling

Digital back ends are informed by digital signal processing research at Carnegie Mellon University, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Princeton University, and corporate groups at IBM Research, Microsoft Research, and Google DeepMind for algorithmic advancements. Field-programmable gate arrays from Xilinx and Intel (Altera) and system-on-chip designs from ARM Holdings drive implementations used in systems like Distributed Aperture System programs and maritime radars on Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier platforms. Data buses and protocols align with standards from MIL-STD-1553, ARINC, and Ethernet variants standardized by IETF and IEEE 802.3 committees. Data fusion and tracking draw on legacy work from MITRE Corporation, RAND Corporation, and The Aerospace Corporation.

Timing, Synchronization, and Control

Timing subsystems reference precision sources developed by groups at NIST, NOAA, and manufacturers such as Symmetricom and Trimble Inc.. Synchronization schemes in phased-array projects recall contributions from Bell Labs and algorithmic methods developed at University of California, Berkeley and Cornell University. Control architectures interface with mission systems from Lockheed Martin Mission Systems and avionics suites by Rockwell Collins and Thales Avionics, while validation frameworks adopt methodologies used by SAE International and ISO testing programs.

Power, Cooling, and Packaging

Power distribution design reflects practices from General Electric and Siemens AG engineering groups, with energy storage and conditioning influenced by Tesla, Inc. research into power electronics and battery management. Thermal management solutions leverage heat-sink and liquid-cooling approaches refined by Caterpillar Inc. industrial engineering teams and research at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Ruggedized packaging follows standards developed by MIL-STD series contractors and compliance testing in facilities like Vibration Test Laboratories affiliated with National Instruments.

Performance Metrics and System Integration

Performance assessment uses metrics established in programs such as AWACS, S-3 Viking upgrades, and multisensor suites on B-2 Spirit and C-17 Globemaster III platforms, with modeling and simulation contributions from ANSYS, Siemens PLM Software, and academic groups at Imperial College London. Integration is coordinated among prime contractors like General Dynamics and Northrop Grumman with systems engineering practices promoted by INCOSE and certification frameworks applied by authorities including Civil Aviation Authority and European Space Agency. Field trials often involve collaboration with research facilities at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, Naval Research Laboratory, and international test ranges such as Woomera Test Range and White Sands Missile Range.

Category:Radar systems