Germany’s DLR aerospace research centre has completed the first flight of an Airbus A320 adapted to conduct airborne testing of an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar for Eurofighter operator nations Germany and Spain.
Conducted from the DLR’s Braunschweig site on 21 January, the sortie involved its A320 advanced technology research aircraft (ATRA), which has been equipped with a Eurofighter nose section.
Airbus says the integration activity required its engineers to design “a new front section” to accommodate the cupola and sensor, as well as make structural reinforcements in the narrow fuselage structure.
“The teams will, in a next step, also install extensive test equipment in the A320 ATRA cabin, including a customised Eurofighter avionic test rig and supporting cooling and power infrastructure,” Airbus Defence & Space says.
Flight testing will begin later this year on the ECRS Mk1 AESA, which will join the new Eurofighters ordered for Berlin and Madrid, and will also bring modernization paints as a replacement for the type’s original mechanically scanned Captor radar.
“We are operating the aircraft in close collaboration with the DLR and the German Armed Forces to create a new radar for the Eurofighter and bring it to maturity,” says Thomas Hirsch, director of E-Scan radar assignment at Airbus Defence.
“The A320 ATRA has a significantly shorter clearance process and can stay in the air longer than a Eurofighter,” he notes. “This means that the testing time in a real-life environment is considerably earlier, quicker and with a longer duration. These aspects significantly speed up the radar development process.”
The ECRS Mk1 sensor will be installed on 38 German Eurofighters purchased nationally by Quadriga, as well as 20 for Spain purchased by Halcon I. The countries will also obtain a total of forty-five more examples of these fighter aircraft as a component of upcoming orders. . .
Berlin indicated in late 2023 that the new AESA radar would also be on its fleet of Eurofighters already in service.
Aircraft integration activities for partner countries will be carried out by Airbus Defense & Space, while radar painting will be carried out by the Euroradar Hensoldt (Germany) and Indra (Spain) consortiums, respectively.
In addition to the upcoming work with the A320 ATRA platform, in December 2024 Spain carried out the first flight of a Eurofighter test aircraft equipped with the ECRS Mk1.
Airbus notes that the EASA radar upgrade will “amplify the Eurofighter’s capabilities in air-to-air and air-to-ground operations and will also equip it with electronic warfare capabilities. “
Separately, fellow Eurofighter partner the UK is advancing work on a Leonardo UK-led ECRS Mk2 radar, with a prototype having been flown on the fighter from BAE Systems’ Warton site in Lancashire last September. The sensor will be installed on Tranche 3 production aircraft for the Royal Air Force, with the combination due to enter operational use by 2030.
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