A.P. Richelieu
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https://www.nyteknik.se/premium/gripen-utan-stealth-darfor-dumpades-smygtekniken-6982806
(Google Translate)
Building and maintaining sneakiness on combat aircraft, so-called stealth, is costly. The Gripen program has instead focused on offensive and defensive telecommunications systems.
Of course, the fact that the Gripen E is not equipped with sneaking ability is no secret. The decision was made jointly by Saab and the Air Force. It told Air Force Chief Carl-Johan Edström at the press conference in connection with last week's handover of the first series-produced Gripen E to the joint test program.
"We believe it is the offensive and defensive telecom capability that will give us survival and superiority to the opponent," he said.
Stealth ability has become an increasingly common technology for fighter aircraft, which means that they become difficult to detect for a radar. The property is achieved mainly through special material and geometry choices. The radar signals simply do not bounce back like they do on a regular plane without sneaking technique.
Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk first out
First out was the US Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk, which was commissioned as early as 1983. Other examples are the F-22 Raptor and the F-35 Lightning II, both from Lockheed Martin. Russia has Sukhoi SU-57 and China has Chengdu J-20 and Shenyang FC-31, among others.
But the technology is expensive to develop and maintain, says Jonas Hjelm, head of the Aeronautics business area at Saab, in an interview with Ny Teknik.
- If you remove a hatch on the plane to carry out maintenance, it is much like you have to repaint the house, simply put. In addition, the geometric shapes mean that you have to compromise the aerodynamic properties of the aircraft. That is why we decided early along with the Swedish customer not to go that way, he says.
Gripen is also a relatively small aircraft, which in itself means a smaller radar signature.
Instead, Saab has invested in passive and active systems for telecommunications, or electronic warfare as it is also called. An example of this is the interference transmitter which causes the opponent's radar to be filled with false targets.
Aesa radar better at detecting stealth planes
The advanced Active Electronically Scanned Array (Aesa) radar has the ability to better detect stealth planes compared to previous versions. In addition, Gripen has a heat seeking sensor (which can detect infrared light from heat sources).
- You never become completely invisible. But you won't be stealth either. No matter how much stealth you have, you always emit heat, which can be detected by the infrared sensor. I am not saying that stealth is bad - but you should not be fooled into thinking that you become invisible just because you have it, says Jonas Hjelm.
As the systems of electronic warfare, radar and ir-detection have become more advanced, the amount of data has increased to such an extent that the pilot is unable to handle it manually. Gripen has been at the forefront when it comes to the Human Machine Interface (HMI).
Algorithms aggregate the data from the various sensors (so-called sensor fusion using artificial intelligence) and present the information that is most relevant at the moment. Sensor fusion is not new to Gripen E, but the upgrade means that Saab has taken another step compared to the previous version C / D, according to Jonas Hjelm.
The Gripen E has a wider display
Another new feature of the Gripen E is a larger and wider display in the cockpit that allows the pilot to better control the way the information is presented.
- It's not really that strange, but it means that the pilot can act in a completely different way compared to the three fixed displays found in Gripen C / D, says Jonas Hjelm.
He believes that artificial intelligence will become increasingly important in the future in order to allow the aircraft to take over increasingly large tasks from the pilot. The purpose is to relieve the pilot and cut time in the so-called OODA loop. It is a popular illustration in military context of what is required to go from Observation, Orientation, Decision and finally to Action.
"This is not a revolution, but a gradual shift in boundaries so that we can update the information faster so that it becomes relevant to the pilot," says Jonas Hjelm.
(Google Translate)
Building and maintaining sneakiness on combat aircraft, so-called stealth, is costly. The Gripen program has instead focused on offensive and defensive telecommunications systems.
Of course, the fact that the Gripen E is not equipped with sneaking ability is no secret. The decision was made jointly by Saab and the Air Force. It told Air Force Chief Carl-Johan Edström at the press conference in connection with last week's handover of the first series-produced Gripen E to the joint test program.
"We believe it is the offensive and defensive telecom capability that will give us survival and superiority to the opponent," he said.
Stealth ability has become an increasingly common technology for fighter aircraft, which means that they become difficult to detect for a radar. The property is achieved mainly through special material and geometry choices. The radar signals simply do not bounce back like they do on a regular plane without sneaking technique.
Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk first out
First out was the US Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk, which was commissioned as early as 1983. Other examples are the F-22 Raptor and the F-35 Lightning II, both from Lockheed Martin. Russia has Sukhoi SU-57 and China has Chengdu J-20 and Shenyang FC-31, among others.
But the technology is expensive to develop and maintain, says Jonas Hjelm, head of the Aeronautics business area at Saab, in an interview with Ny Teknik.
- If you remove a hatch on the plane to carry out maintenance, it is much like you have to repaint the house, simply put. In addition, the geometric shapes mean that you have to compromise the aerodynamic properties of the aircraft. That is why we decided early along with the Swedish customer not to go that way, he says.
Gripen is also a relatively small aircraft, which in itself means a smaller radar signature.
Instead, Saab has invested in passive and active systems for telecommunications, or electronic warfare as it is also called. An example of this is the interference transmitter which causes the opponent's radar to be filled with false targets.
Aesa radar better at detecting stealth planes
The advanced Active Electronically Scanned Array (Aesa) radar has the ability to better detect stealth planes compared to previous versions. In addition, Gripen has a heat seeking sensor (which can detect infrared light from heat sources).
- You never become completely invisible. But you won't be stealth either. No matter how much stealth you have, you always emit heat, which can be detected by the infrared sensor. I am not saying that stealth is bad - but you should not be fooled into thinking that you become invisible just because you have it, says Jonas Hjelm.
As the systems of electronic warfare, radar and ir-detection have become more advanced, the amount of data has increased to such an extent that the pilot is unable to handle it manually. Gripen has been at the forefront when it comes to the Human Machine Interface (HMI).
Algorithms aggregate the data from the various sensors (so-called sensor fusion using artificial intelligence) and present the information that is most relevant at the moment. Sensor fusion is not new to Gripen E, but the upgrade means that Saab has taken another step compared to the previous version C / D, according to Jonas Hjelm.
The Gripen E has a wider display
Another new feature of the Gripen E is a larger and wider display in the cockpit that allows the pilot to better control the way the information is presented.
- It's not really that strange, but it means that the pilot can act in a completely different way compared to the three fixed displays found in Gripen C / D, says Jonas Hjelm.
He believes that artificial intelligence will become increasingly important in the future in order to allow the aircraft to take over increasingly large tasks from the pilot. The purpose is to relieve the pilot and cut time in the so-called OODA loop. It is a popular illustration in military context of what is required to go from Observation, Orientation, Decision and finally to Action.
"This is not a revolution, but a gradual shift in boundaries so that we can update the information faster so that it becomes relevant to the pilot," says Jonas Hjelm.
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