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Pakistan's Airborne Early Warning and Control Aircrafts

Just a bit on the advance E-2D Hawkeye.

E-2D Advanced Hawkeye

Program Overview:
The E-2D Advanced Hawkeye is a game changer in how the Navy will conduct battle management command and control. By serving as the "digital quarterback" to sweep ahead of strike, manage the mission, and keep our net-centric carrier battle groups out of harms way, the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye is the key to advancing the mission, no matter what it may be. The E-2D gives the warfighter expanded battlespace awareness, especially in the area of information operations delivering battle management, theater air and missile defense, and multiple sensor fusion capabilities in an airborne system.

With a two-generation leap in radar sensor capability and a robust network enabled capability, Advanced Hawkeye will deliver critical, actionable data to joint forces and first responders. These advances provide warfighters with the necessary situational awareness to compress the time between initial awareness and active engagement.

First Flight August 2007:
In August 2003, Northrop Grumman and Team Hawkeye committed to delivering Delta One, the first system development and demonstration (SD&D) aircraft and on August 3, 2007, it delivered on that promise conducting its successful first flight. In late Fall, Delta Two, the second SD&D aircraft is slated to fly its first flight. Advanced Hawkeye is the cornerstone of the U.S. Navy's theater air and missile defense architecture in the littorals, overland, and open sea. E-2D's initial operational capability is schedule for 2011.

Some of the many new features of the Advanced Hawkeye are:
A completely new radar featuring both mechanical and electronic scanning capabilities
Fully Integrated "All Glass" Tactical Cockpit
Advanced Identification Friend or Foe System
New Mission Computer and Tactical Workstations
Electronic Support Measures Enhancements
Modernized Communications and Data Link Suite
These and other new developments incorporated into the E-2D ensure:
True 360-degree radar coverage provides uncompromised all-weather tracking and situational awareness
Open architecture compliant, commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS)-based hardware and software enables rapid, cost-wise technology refresh for consistent leading-edge mission tools
A true FORCEnet enabler - A force multiplier through network enabled capability, Advanced Hawkeye is the gateway to Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Michael G. Mullen's vision for a "1,000-ship navy."
Multimission flexibility ranging from command and control through missile defense to border security.
 
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If we make a list of AWEACS which one is at no.1 and in that list where Our Erieye stands
 
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Believed to be Pakistan's first of five Erieye systems, the Saab 2000-based surveillance aircraft is currently undergoing ground testing in Linköping, where Islamabad's second example is also now in teardown.

This pre-modification refurbishment programme will deliver an aircraft "more or less as new", says Andersson.

Pakistan's aircraft has five on-board operator stations, versus three on modified EMB-145s and Sweden's two upgraded Saab 340s, a service ceiling of over 30,000ft (9,150m) and a mission endurance approaching 10h. The type also features enhanced engines, new generators, additional cooling for on-board mission equipment and a Saab HES-21 electronic warfare suite comprising laser, radar and missile approach warners and countermeasures dispensers.

The aircraft's fuselage has been strengthened to carry the Erieye radar, while its vertical tail has been extended to compensate for the payload, which provides 150e_SDgr coverage to each side of its conformal array. The Saab 2000's outer wing has also been strengthened to accommodate EW and signals intelligence sensors, and for the possible carriage of a towed radar decoy.

Saab says the use of new-generation radar transmit/receive modules with 60% higher output have increased the AEW range of the Erieye design, which can also now detect hovering helicopters and track small naval targets to a range of 350km (190nm).
 
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AWACS are flying radars and command posts combined.

An AEW tracks enemy units like jets, ships etc and sends the data to linked friendly units and command posts. It is basically not capable of ELINT and jamming.

An AWACS does all the required tracking and also gives out best strategies.
For eg: Enemy fighters are tracked and sent to friendly jets. During engagement, they assign targets and communicate about the engagement in real time with command posts on ground and also provide real time data to the fighters. They are capable of jamming communications at much larger distances and have ELINT capabilities. They can track missiles too.

I m mainly differentiating Phalcons to the Erieye.


India is developing its own AESA.

Indian AWACS Moving Forward on 2 Fronts
The militarized ERJ 145 comes in several versions, including maritime surveillance and electronic intelligence versions. The most common variant, currently operated by Brazil and Greece, is the EMB 145 Erieye airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft1. It uses the same Saab Erieye AESA radar that will be mounted on Pakistan’s new Saab 2000 turboprop AEW&C fleet. There are some blind spots with its “dorsal blade” configuration, most notably to the front, but flight patterns can be planned around those gaps to ensure good coverage of the area in question.



The ERIEYE is a low cost AEW(and possibly C) which doesnot compare with the PHALCON.
Low-cost and effective AEW systems find buyers

Two systems now on the global market, however, are a step forward in affordability, and are making sales in countries that can't afford a 737, let alone an AWACS. The Saab 2000 EriEye and IAI-Elta Conformal AEW (CAEW) system are competing for sales with the Northrop Grumman E-2D Advanced Hawkeye.


If u want to compare the wedgetail or the phalcons to the Erieye.......then they are definitely not comparable.


Note that IAF bought 3 PHALCONs and their plaforms for $1.5billion while the PAF bought 5 ERIEYEs for less than a $1billion.

Also, IAF ordered 3 more for $1.7billion which will work out to $2billion with platforms. I think the new ones will be based on the greenpine(2080).
 
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The only decent AWACS in the air are American Wedgetail and the Israel Phalcon.

Any other so called AWACS is simply an embarrassment compared to those 2. This includes the russian, indian and chinese up coming AWACS.
 
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The only decent AWACS in the air are American Wedgetail and the Israel Phalcon.

Any other so called AWACS is simply an embarrassment compared to those 2. This includes the russian, indian and chinese up coming AWACS.

Dude nothing is embarrassment. Just because other platforms lacks certain performance parameters doesnt mean they are embarrassment to the particular country. One has to try to achieve those levels of hight.
 
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Dude nothing is embarrassment. Just because other platforms lacks certain performance parameters doesnt mean they are embarrassment to the particular country.

I dint say they are an embarrassment to the country. It is just that the tech on the other AWACS is so INFERIOR that they shouldn't even be called AWACS.


One has to try to achieve those levels of hight.
Yes, but it is not possible with the existing systems available in the market with other countries, or those that are being currently being developed.

It is like comparing the F-22 with other fighters. They do their job. But not as effective.

Even NATO countries use american AWACS.
 
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Um...well, AEW are generally those planes that do all the work of an AWACS, but they dont have the data processing abilities of the AWACS. Its more or less like p2prada said, but with some differences. Its not as if they cant conduct EW, its that they are HEAVILY dependent on ground stations and the range, etc is limited compared to AWACS.

For example The Erieye is dependent on the ground stations. The plane transmits all the data to these ground stations and they in turn do all the processing and merging of the 3-D scenario and send the data back to the Erieye. Incase the stations are not present in the area, the AEW records the EW signals, etc and this data is later analyzed, it ie the plane posses very limited processing capabilities. You take out the ground stations and the true capability of the AEW is severely curtailed. Also the EW and ELINT operations from an AEW are very limited compared to that of an AWACS. As mentioned, AEW are good for nations who cannot afford AWACS in decent numbers.

AWACS are self reliant on everything, they work independently are are a complete node in themselves. Thus you see that most of AEW's are on lighter platforms, while the AWACS are on large and heavy lift planes like Boeing 737's or the Il's, etc. Also the engagement capacity is very limited apart from crew efficiency, range, load of sensors carried, number of workstations-which directly allows for dedicated EW/ELINT operations Along with battle management, something not present in AEW's, etc, etc.

p2prada got it pretty right.

EDIT: The Indian AWACS strategy also relies on AEW. The plan for the foreseeable future is buying around 6 of the Phalcons as the strategic nodes/hubs in the entire network and the DRDO AEW's acting as the extensions of the Phalcons or as theatre nodes.

As of now the option for the 3 extra Phalcons has not been exercised, but it most definitely will be as the first of the Phalcons is tested and used.
 
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The only decent AWACS in the air are American Wedgetail and the Israel Phalcon.

Any other so called AWACS is simply an embarrassment compared to those 2. This includes the russian, indian and chinese up coming AWACS.

Since you have not included SAAB AWACS, please tell us how do you consider those? decent or embarrasment?

P.S. SAAB ERIEYE are most relevant to the subject matter.
 
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Note that IAF bought 3 PHALCONs and their plaforms for $1.5billion while the PAF bought 5 ERIEYEs for less than a $1billion.

Was it not a $1.1 billion for Phalcons deal?
And what is the point?
 
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