AW101 helicopter shown in a proposed Airborne Surveillance and Control (ASaC) configuration for the Royal Navy. Photo: AgustaWestland
AugustaWestland and Thales presented the conceptual design of an AW101 ‘Merlin’ based Airborne Surveillance and Control (ASaC), positioned to replace the Sea King Mk7 ASaC currently operated by the Royal Navy. Operating from the deck of helicopter and aircraft carriers, Sea King Mk 7 helicopters are carrying the Searchwater 2000 radar and Cerberus mission system to provide airborne early warning at sea for the Royal Navy naval surface fleet.
A cutaway showing the two consoles of the Cerberus and AEW mission systems, along with the Thales Searchwater shown in the stored position. Once the AW101 ASaC is airborne, the radar is extracted and positioned to cover 360 degrees, unobstructed by the helicopter fuselage or tail. Photo: Agustawestland. a mission, The radar
Under the collaborative ‘enhanced ASaC’ capability, announced last week by the two companies at Royal Navy Air Station (RNAS) Yeovilton during the Fleet Air Arm’s annual Air Day, a proposed Merlin AEW platform could be ready to replace the Mk7 as it is retired by teh year 2016. The Royal Navy plans to deploy the new ASaC helicopter with the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter on the new Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers, currently under construction.
According to Ed Lowe, Chief Operating Officer of Thales UK, “Thales and AgustaWestland are working together to develop a proposal to transfer the Cerberus mission system to the AW101 platform. “I am confident this will offer our customer a low cost, low risk method of delivering ASaC well into the future with no capability gap” Lowe said.
The Sea King Mk 7 (ASaC) is scheduled to withdraw from service and retire by the year 2016. Photo: Royal Navy
Unlike the side mounted configuration on the Sea King Mk7, the AW101 will use a palletized Searchwater 2000 radar, deployed through the rear ramp aperture when in operation and stows in the cabin when not in use. This installation will also expand the radar coverage to full 360 degrees, significantly increasing mission range and endurance.
The new configuration will also enable rapid transit between tasking. The mission system will also comprise two modernized mission crew stations to be located at the forward end of the cabin facing aft. These workstations will introduce new man machine interface (MMI) optimized for two man operation. The enhanced ASaC equipment could be role fitted to all AW101 utility variants.
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