AN/AWG-9

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USS Hornet Museum

The AN/AWG-9 and AN/APG-71 radars are all-weather, multi-mode

The AN/AWG-9 offers multiple air-to-air modes: long-range continuous-wave radar velocity search, range-while-search at shorter ranges, and an airborne track-while-scan mode with the ability to track up to 24 airborne targets, display 18 of them on the cockpit displays, and launch against 6 of them at the same time. This function was originally designed to allow the Tomcat to shoot down formations of bombers at long range.

AN/AWG-9

The AWG-9 was the result of a series of

missile. The Missileer was a relatively simple aircraft, and when planners expressed doubts about its ability to survive after firing its missiles, the Missileer was canceled and the Navy started looking for higher-performance alternatives.

At the same time, the

ICBMs

.

The same was not true for the Navy, where the threat remained manned aircraft and early anti-ship missiles. Hughes suggested that the AN/ASG-18 and AIM-47 could be adapted for the Navy in slightly modified form, adding additional tracking capability while reducing the size of the radar antenna to a size more suitable for carrier aircraft. The result was the AN/AWG-9 radar and Phoenix missile.

All that was needed was a suitable airframe, which led to the Navy's involvement in the

.

After many years in development and arguing with Congress, the Navy finally started development of a new aircraft specifically tailored to their needs. The new aircraft emerged as the F-14, armed with the same AWG-9/AIM-54 outfit originally intended for the F-111B. On the F-14, the AWG-9 is capable, and its doppler system allows it to have look-down, shoot-down capabilities.[3]

Hughes delivered enough AWG-9 systems and spares to equip approximately 600 F-14A/B aircraft for the Navy, and an additional 80 aircraft for the

. All of the Navy systems have been retired; some of Iranian systems are still in service.

AN/APG-71

The APG-71 was a 1980s upgrade of the AWG-9 for use on the F-14D. It incorporates technology and common modules developed for the

, providing significant improvements in (digital) processing speed, mode flexibility, clutter rejection, and detection range. The system features a low-sidelobe antenna, a sidelobe-blanking guard channel, and monopulse angle tracking; all of which are intended to make the radar less vulnerable to jamming.

The system itself is capable of a 460-mile (740 km) range, but the antenna design limits this to only 230 miles (370 km). Use of datalinked data allows two or more F-14Ds to operate the system at its maximum range.

Hughes delivered enough APG-71 radars and spares to equip all 55 F-14Ds produced or converted before the F-14D program was scaled back as a cost-cutting measure and eventually canceled. The F-14 was officially retired from United States Navy service on September 22, 2006, with the last flight occurring October 4, 2006.

See also

• Index of aviation articles
• List of radars
• Joint Electronics Type Designation System

References

Notes

Citation

Bibliography

• Sweetman, Bill and Bonds, Ray. The Great Book of Modern Warplanes. New York, New York: Crown Publishers, 1987.
  ISBN 0-517-63367-1

External links

• Track-While-Scan Concepts