By the early 70s, nuclear missile parity was achieved between the USSR and the United States, and the parties came to the understanding that an armed conflict with the use of strategic nuclear weapons would inevitably lead to the mutual destruction of the parties. In these conditions, the United States adopted the concept of "Limited nuclear war", which provides for the use of tactical nuclear warheads in the local theater of operations to level the Soviet superiority in conventional weapons and especially in tanks. This primarily concerned Western Europe, while American strategists were not interested in the opinion of citizens of European NATO member states.
In turn, the British leadership hoped that the local nuclear apocalypse would not directly affect the territory of the kingdom and the British would once again be able to sit behind the English Channel. However, with this scenario, there was a possibility of a breakthrough to British strategic targets by Soviet bombers carrying conventional weapons. The greatest concern was the protection of naval bases, airfields and nuclear power plants.
The "Posrednik" air defense and air traffic control system, created by the mid-70s, was mainly designed to control the airspace adjacent to the British Isles in peacetime and could not ensure the repulsion of a massive air attack due to the limited number of radar posts and command posts, at times reduced in comparison with the post-war "Rotor" system. In addition, in order to save money, the channels of the control and information exchange equipment in the Posrednik system were transferred to radio relay communication lines, which are vulnerable to the effects of organized radio interference and electromagnetic impulses.
The British tried to replace the shortage of airborne radar stations with active interrogators of Cossor SSR750 transponders and RX12874 Winkle radio intelligence stations, recording the operation of aviation radio systems in passive mode. However, in a number of cases, due to the unreliable operation of transponders and the identification system, interceptors had to be raised into the air to visually determine the nationality of an aircraft that entered British airspace. At the same time, visual contact of fighter-interceptor pilots with potential intruder aircraft, as a rule, occurred after unknown aircraft had overcome the launch line of air-launched cruise missiles, be it Soviet missile carriers.
After several such incidents in the early 80s, hearings were initiated in the British Parliament, at which they gave an impartial assessment of the state and capabilities of the British air defense system. For the British, this was especially alarming, since in the European North of the USSR in the second half of the 70s, Tu-22M2 supersonic missile-carrying bombers appeared. The speed characteristics of the Backfire and its cruise missiles were one of the main threats to the British Isles.
To change the current situation and prevent the destruction of strategically important facilities in the context of a conflict limited in scale and used means, which could have proceeded without the use of medium-range ballistic and cruise missiles, intercontinental ballistic missiles and aviation thermonuclear bombs, the British leadership decided to radically modernize the existing air defense system. It is fair to say that the massive use of tactical nuclear weapons in Western Europe with a high degree of probability would eventually lead to a large-scale use of strategic weapons, and the British hopes of surviving a nuclear conflict in the midst of the realities of the height of the Cold War looked unfounded.
The new dual-use system, also designed to regulate air traffic, received the designation Improved United Kingdom Air Defense Ground Environment (IUKADGE) - "Improved automatic control system for forces and means of air defense." It was to be based on new three-coordinate surveillance radars, automated means of processing, transmitting and displaying information developed by Marconi, and modern supersonic fighter-interceptors with a long range, equipped with powerful radar, long-range missiles and equipment for automatic guidance and information exchange with command posts and other fighters. To increase the line of interception of high-speed and low-flying air targets in the Royal Air Force, it was planned to use long-range radar patrol aircraft.
In order to increase the combat stability of the air defense system as a whole, it was decided to revive a number of fortified control bunkers of the "Rotor" system and lay new underground fiber-optic communication lines, protected from interference and more resistant to external influences. Naturally, such ambitious plans required significant capital investments and could not be implemented quickly. Moreover, the experience of developing and adopting complex and expensive British weapons in the 70s and 80s testified to a significant shift in the originally planned terms.
At the end of the 70s, the development of the Tornado GR.1 variable-geometry bomber fighter was completed in Great Britain. At the same time, the specialists of the British Aircraft Corporation came to the conclusion that on the basis of this aircraft it is relatively easy and quick to create a supersonic loitering interceptor fighter with a long range. In the spring of 1977, practical work began on the interceptor, which received the designation Tornado ADV (Air Defense Variant - air defense variant). The changes were mainly related to the radar, fire control system and weapons. Work proceeded at a good pace, and at the end of October 1979 the first prototype took off. The following year, a second prototype took off with new cockpit equipment and boosted engines. In total, 3 aircraft were built for testing, which in total flew 376 hours.
Outwardly, the new British interceptor differed little from the fighter-bomber. Compared to the strike version, the aircraft became a little longer, the radar radome changed its shape, and the front radome of the radio technical system antenna disappeared on the keel. The reduction in combat load compared to the Tornado GR.1 made it possible to use the released weight reserve to increase the fuel reserve by 900 liters due to the installation of an additional fuel tank. For refueling in the air, on the left, in front of the fuselage, there is a fuel-receiving rod that is retractable in flight. One universal pylon for suspension of the dumped fuel tank is installed under each console.
The interceptor received the AI.24 Foxhunter radar, designed by Marconi Electronic Systems. This station had very good characteristics for the second half of the 70s. The interceptor radar, served by the navigator-operator, could detect the Soviet Tu-16 at a distance of up to 180 km and accompany 10-12 targets on the way. The aiming equipment also included a collimator indicator on the windshield and a television visual identification system VAS, which allows visual identification of air targets at a great distance.
The main weapons of the Tornado ADV were four medium-range missile launchers of the British Aerospace Skyflash, created on the basis of the American AIM-7 Sparrow. These missiles were placed in a semi-submerged position under the fuselage. In terms of their characteristics, they significantly surpassed the Firestreak and Red Tor missiles with thermal homing heads, which were part of the Lightning interceptor armament. Rockets "Sky Flash" with a semi-active monopulse seeker could destroy air targets at a distance of up to 45 km in conditions of intense interference. For conducting close air combat, two AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles were intended. The built-in armament was represented by one 27-mm Mauser BK-27 cannon with 180 rounds of ammunition.
Despite the fact that work on the AI.24 radar at the Marconi company began even before the decision was made to create an interceptor, the development of the radar was delayed, and the first Tornado F.2 interceptors, deliveries of which began in the first half of 1984, instead of The radar was carrying ballast. The first 16 delivered by the Tornado F.2 were used to retrain pilots, and could not intercept air targets. In the future, it was planned to modernize them and install operational radar, however, most of the aircraft of the first series were still used for training purposes and were not significantly altered.
Fighter-interceptor Tornado F.3
The first combat unit of the RAF to receive the new interceptors was Squadron 29, whose pilots had previously flown the Phantom FGR. Mk II. The Tornado F.3 became a truly combat-ready vehicle. This fighter-interceptor, in addition to the radar brought to an operational state, received equipment that allows it to exchange data on the air situation with other Tornado F.3, AWACS aircraft and ground control points and more powerful RB TRDDFs. 199-34 Mk. 104 with an afterburner thrust of 8000 kgf. The number of melee missiles on board the interceptor increased to four, which, however, did not make the Tornado an effective air superiority fighter. Training air battles with American F-15s showed that the "Briton", despite its rather good acceleration characteristics, had little chance of winning in close air combat with 4th generation fighters.
At the same time, the modernized Tornado F.3 was quite suitable for its purpose. The interceptor without refueling in the air could patrol for 2 hours at a distance of 500-700 km from its airfield. The combat radius was more than 1800 km, and the line of supersonic interception was 500 km. Compared to the Phantom, which was in service with the British air defense squadrons, the Tornado, thanks to its better thrust-to-weight ratio and variable geometry wing, could operate from much shorter runways.
The construction of the Tornado interceptors was carried out until 1993, and the British Air Force received 165 all-weather long-range interceptors. The first combat unit, the 29th squadron, reached full combat readiness in November 1987, and the interceptors, equipped, in addition, with improved radar and jamming stations, reached their peak in the mid-90s, when there was no particular need for them.
There are many known examples where ill-considered cuts in defense spending ultimately led to even greater spending. An attempt to save budgetary funds during the construction of the "Mediator" system resulted in the fact that in the 80s the own capabilities of the British air defense forces for the timely detection of air targets significantly decreased. This was primarily a consequence of the reduction by several times in the number of radar posts. In part, the problem was solved by using the Royal Navy warships as a radar patrol. But it was not cheap, and the weather in the North Atlantic was far from always favorable. Adopted in 1960, the piston AEW Z10 AEW Z10 AWACS aircraft with the American AN / APS-20 radar did not at all correspond to modern realities. The detection range and duration of patrolling of these vehicles by the beginning of the 70s did not satisfy the military.
In 1977, the first prototype of the new-generation British AWACS aircraft Nimrod AEW took off. By that time, the Nimrod anti-submarine and patrol aircraft, built on the basis of the Kometa airliner, had proven themselves quite well. Initially, the British planned to install the AN / APS-125 pulse-Doppler radar and the avionics of the American E-2C Hawkeye on their aircraft. However, the top managers of British Aerospace and GEC Marconi, not wanting to lose possible orders, managed to convince the government that they were quite capable of creating their own aviation radar complex, stating that the British aircraft at a lower cost would be in no way inferior to the American E-3A AWACS.
Nimrod AEW.3
Once again, British developers weren't looking for easy ways. A characteristic feature of the new AWACS aircraft was the refusal to place one rotating radar antenna in the fairing on the upper part of the fuselage. The British decided to use two antennas in the nose and aft fuselage. According to British experts, this arrangement significantly reduced the mass, improved the aerodynamics of the aircraft and eliminated the presence of "dead zones" resulting from shadowing from the fuselage, wings and empennage. In addition to detecting and classifying targets, the onboard equipment of the aircraft was supposed to simultaneously transmit data to warships, air defense ground control points, and in the future, directly to interceptor fighters. The main element of the radar complex was the AN / APY-920 radar with two dual-frequency antennas measuring 2, 4x1, 8 m. The station could determine the range, altitude, speed and bearing of the target and had good noise immunity. The maximum design range for detecting air targets was 450 km. Particular attention was paid to the possibility of detecting submarines under the periscope. In addition to detection, the task was to track at least 400 air and surface targets. Compared to the E-3A, the Nimrod was supposed to reduce the number of radar operators from 9 to 5 people due to the use of high-performance computers.
But despite the fact that the concept of the English analogue of the E-3A on paper was quite well developed, it was not at all easy to implement it in practice. The specialists of the GEC Marconi company clearly overestimated their capabilities, and they failed to achieve acceptable characteristics of the radar complex in a reasonable time frame. In 1984, after spending £ 300 million, the program was closed. Prior to that, the BAE corporation managed to build anew and re-equip 11 AWACS aircraft from anti-submarine aircraft. Nimrod AEW.3
For the sake of fairness, it should be said that the specialists of the GEC Avionics company (as the Marconi company now began to be called) in the late 80s on the equipment brought to the level of ASR 400, managed to achieve very impressive results. However, "the train left," and the UK government, disillusioned with the Nimrods, placed an order in the US for 7 E-3D AWACS aircraft. British AWACS, designated Sentry AEW1 in the RAF, are stationed at RAF Waddington - Waddington Air Force Base.
Satellite image of Google Earth: British AWACS Sentry AEW1 aircraft at Waddington airbase
Currently, 6 Sentry AEW1s are in flight condition, another aircraft that has exhausted its resource is used on the ground for training purposes. In general, E-3D AWACS significantly increased the capabilities of the RAF in terms of situational awareness and made it possible to significantly expand the area of controlled airspace. But, like the Tornado interceptors, the very expensive AWACS aircraft were by and large late, they were really mastered by the crews when the Cold War had already ended.
The Sentinel R1 with two turbofan engines based on the Bombardier Global Express business jet became a low-cost multipurpose AWACS option. The equipment for this aircraft was created by the American corporation Raytheon. The first flight of the prototype took place in August 2001. The RAF is armed with five Sentinel R1 aircraft.
Airplane Sentinel R1
During the development of the Sentinel R1, the main focus was on the ability to detect low-altitude air targets against the background of the underlying surface. The main radar with AFAR is located in the lower part of the fuselage. In addition to detecting "difficult" air targets, the aircraft's high-resolution equipment can be used to monitor the sea area or to control the battlefield. In the past, British Sentinel R1 aircraft, also based in Waddington, have been deployed on multiple occasions in Libya, Afghanistan and Mali.
At the end of the 70s, for the command posts of the air defense company "Marconi" developed a set of equipment coupled with modern computing facilities at that time, allowing information on the radar situation to be displayed on the control panel of the officer on duty.
Data transmission was mainly carried out via fiber-optic lines, which made it possible to increase the speed of information updating. This very reliable and well-proven equipment was operated at British command posts until 2005.
With the start of work under the IUKADGE program, the development of new ground-based air monitoring radars was accelerated. In 1985, the RAF entered into trial operation the first Type 91 mobile three-coordinate radar (S-723 Marconi Martello) with a maximum detection range of air targets of 500 km. In total, four Type 91 radars were deployed in the UK, which served until 1997.
Radar Type 91
At almost the same time, the Americans offered their mobile AN / TPS-77 and fixed AN / FPS-117. These three-coordinate radars with AFAR with a detection range of up to 470 km turned out to be easier to operate and much cheaper than the Type 91 radar. And as a result, the RAF command gave them preference. In the UK, the stationary AN / FPS-117 was designated Type 92.
Mobile stations AN / TPS-77 are not on constant duty, but are considered as a means of reinforcement in crisis situations. During exercises, they are usually deployed at airfields or on the coast. Stationary Type 92s have been serving in several radar posts for more than 25 years. To protect against the effects of wind and precipitation, the antennas of stationary radars are covered with radio-transparent plastic domes. In 1996, Lockheed Martin overhauled two radars at remote radar posts in Scotland, which should extend their service life to at least 2020.
Radar Type 92 at Buchan airbase
The British company Plessey Radar in the late 80s created the AR-320 radar. After testing, the British Air Force ordered 6 stations of this type under the designation Type 93 Three-coordinate radar with AFAR showed good results in tests, with a power consumption of 24 kW, it is capable of detecting targets at a distance of 250 km with an EPR of 1 m². The hardware, generators and antenna were transported on several trailers.
Radar antenna Type 93
Initially, the Type 93 radars were used in a mobile version, but the stations operated by the RAF showed low technical reliability and the military in 1995 raised the issue of decommissioning them. However, the joint efforts of specialists from Siemens Plessey and ITT managed to achieve reliable operation of the radar. At the same time, the hardware part of the radars and their antennas were modernized. At the beginning of the 21st century, the remaining Type 93 stations were installed permanently at permanent radar posts.
Installation of the Type 93 radar antenna under a protective radio-transparent dome at Saksward airbase in 2006
A further development of the AR-320 radar was the AR-327, created in the second half of the 90s. In the design of this station, which received the RAF designation Type 101, based on the operating experience of the Type 93, special attention was paid to improving reliability and maintainability. The hardware part of the AR-327 uses the most modern element base at the time of creation, while the station itself has a so-called "open architecture", which makes it easy to carry out modernization with minimal costs.
Radar antenna Type 93
All elements of the Type 93 radar, supplied to the British Armed Forces, are made on wheeled trailers. At the same time, the station is air transportable, which requires two military transport aircraft C-130H or four Chinook helicopters.
Radar Type 93 does not participate on an ongoing basis in the coverage of the air situation over the British Isles. But these three-dimensional radars are regularly deployed in different parts of the UK and the Federal Republic of Germany during exercises. At a number of air bases for Type 93 radar antennas, special towers with a height of 15 meters have been built, which makes it possible to improve the detection of low-altitude targets. In 2016, the airspace over the UK, excluding airfield and ATC radars, was controlled by eight permanent radar posts.
