Leonardo presents the Grifo-E, the new electronic scanning radar for fighter aircraft

(To Leonardo)
14/07/18

Leonardo will present the new Grifo-E radar, the most recent of the company's electronic scanning sensors, on the occasion of the 2018 Farnborough Show from the 16 to the 20 July. The radar will be displayed at the Leonardo exhibition area.

The Grifo-E represents the evolution of the mechanical scanning Grifo, a shooting control radar sold in 450 specimens to six different Air Forces in the world and adopted on seven types of aircraft. Thanks to Leonardo's proven electronic scanning radar technology, combined with advanced capabilities based on a multi-aperture array and a multi-channel receiver, the Grifo-E delivers advanced shot control performance in a competitive, lightweight and low-power system .

The sensor will be qualified in the 2019 and will be ready for the first deliveries in the 2020. Flexible and modular, ideal for light attack aircraft and larger hunters, the Grifo-E can be easily integrated on a wide range of platforms. The new radar was designed and developed in the plants of Nerviano (Milan) and Edinburgh: it is a totally European product, ready to be exported all over the world.

The Grifo-E uses active electronic scanning technology (EASA - Active Electronically Scanned Array). This provides a matrix of hundreds of small radar modules that allow you to drive an electron beam to the target, instead of physically aiming the entire antenna. This means that the beam can be moved very quickly allowing the radar to perform different tasks simultaneously. Since the core technologies of the Grifo-E are widely tested and mature, Leonardo has invested in developing a range of advanced radar operating modes, taking full advantage of the EASA capabilities, multi-channel receiver and multi-unit units. processor.

Farnborough will also be showcasing the mechanical scanning Grifo-346 aboard the M-346FA, which is present in the Leonardo exhibition area. The radar is currently in a state of advanced integration on the aircraft and will contribute to its ability to carry out both training and operational missions. The Grifo-346 integrates a series of air-to-air, surface-to-surface and navigation modes, field-proven, including SAR (Syntetic Aperture Radar) and high-resolution ISAR (Inverse Syntetic Aperture Radar) capabilities. It can also track up to ten targets simultaneously in Track-While-Scan (TWS) mode and has an operating range of over 92 kilometers.