Spanish company Indra has secured a €90m contract to develop the new radar system Captor-E for Eurofighter Typhoon multi-role combat aircraft.
As a member of the Euroradar consortium, the company will support the development of Captor E-Scan active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar for integration into Typhoon.
Working on behalf of the UK, Germany, Spain and Italy, the Nato Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency (NETMA) signed a €1bn contract with the Eurofighter consortium for Captor E-Scan radar production in November 2014.
The Captor E-Scan radar is claimed to be the world’s most advanced AESA radar system. It is expected to add new mission capabilities, such as simultaneous radar functionalities, air surveillance and air-to-ground and weapon control to Typhoon.
The radar is designed to retrofit to both Tranche 2 and Tranche 3 Typhoons. It has a 200° field of regard, and combines the key features of the existing Captor radar architecture with the latest generation of technology to concurrently execute a full complement of air-to-air and air-to-surface missions.
A very large sized antenna and repositioner is set to feature on the radar, enabling a greater number of transmitter receiver modules, hence providing greater power and reception. This will lead to earlier target detection, and greater utility across the electronic warfare spectrum.
A team of more than 100 Indra engineers will perform Captor E-Scan innovation and development work over the next few years.
The company already supplies key avionics systems, simulators, and maintenance systems for the Eurofighter programme.
Typhoon is a twin-engine, canard-delta wing, multirole fighter manufactured by a consortium of EADS, Alenia Aeronautica, and BAE for deployment during air operations. This includes air policing, peace support, and high-intensity conflict missions worldwide.
Image: A Typhoon multi-role combat aircraft in flight. Photo: courtesy of RAF/ MOD Crown Copyright 2014.
