CAPTOR-E Radar – Eurofighter Typhoon

The project's mission is to develop improvements to the CAPTOR radar, used in Eurofigther Typhoon, a multi-purpose fighter plane, which the European Union has developed to ensure safety throughout its territory. CAPTOR, is an AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array) type radar, also known as "Flat Radar", which can be installed in different types of combat vehicles (airplanes, aircraft carriers, ships, missile frigates, among others). The radar is located at the nose of the plane and is thought out to identify positions and coordinates with respect to physical elements (airplanes, buildings, mountains, etc.), which are located in front of the Eurofigther Typhoon during the flight. It processes data of the different elements and situations in a way that allows detecting whether they are friendly and/or enemy actions. The information received helps the pilot make decisions when he detects a need, such as attack alerts, combat coverage, change of flight route, among others, in order to provide security. The electronic version of the radar, (CAPTOR-E), is currently being developed, with the objective of eliminating the movements of the old mechanical radar (CAPTOR-M) and replacing it with electronic technology, which will provide greater precision. The system consists of numerous modules that consume energy. Said energy, especially in its emitting and receiving phase, generates frequencies that must be reduced to avoid being detected due to the electromagnetic emission produced. Among the key points are: development of a competitive system with benefits according to current demand and improvement of the radar reception part to provide it with greater sensitivity, less weight (and therefore less inertia) in order to ensure accuracy and reliability. The countries linked to the development of this radar are Spain (radar antenna positioning control), UK (radar and antenna manufacturing) and Italy (power supplies and power controls).