RWR and ATC

[xxJohnxx]

Hi,

 

Today I was thinking about the radar warning reciever and the radars used by the ATC. How is this handled in the real A-10. Will the air traffic controll radar lit up on your RWR display? And if yes how will it be labled? As an EWR, or something similar?

And if it doesn't lit up how is this handled? Other frequency band than EWR/SD/Tracking radars?

 

Thanks

 

John

[Eddie]

Maybe they'll show up, maybe they won't. This is one of those things you'll never find out unless you become an A-10 pilot or maintainer.

[badger66]

Exactly how far do the inner ring and the outer represant on the RWR please ?

 

And in the ctr of the RWR , there are 4 little V shaped things , they change direction , what and why ?

[MagnumHB]

The RWR doesn't display distance, the rings represent the current threat level. The closer to the center, the more threatening it is.

[Snoopy]

The RWR is one area that DCS will never be able to model correctly because all the data is classified.

[badger66]

What are the little V shaped things that change direction in the ctr of the RWR ?

[Eddie]

What are the little V shaped things that change direction in the ctr of the RWR ?

 

What "little V shaped things"? Can you post a screen shot showing what you're refering to.

[159th_Viper]

What "little V shaped things"? Can you post a screen shot showing what you're refering to.

 

I think he is referring to the 4 noise bars.

[badger66]

In the center of the display is a center dot and four noise bars that form a cross. These indicate normal operations. Additionally, a vertical cycle timer line flashes alternatively up and down at the end of the right noise bar .

 

How exactly do they work please ?

[Eddie]

How do they work? Exactly how you said they do, that's how.

 

If the noise bars are there, all is well. If the F is there, go home the mission is over.

 

If you were after a more technical answer, as with all things defensive aids related, you'll have to join the airforce (US in the case of the Hog) and obtain the required security clearances. ;)

[bengo]

If the software behind the rwr is smart enough to display SAM-symbols while taking into account if you are in reach of that particular SAM-system, then it'll be smart enough to filter out ATC and other non-threatening radar-systems.

[DrD]

I remember in F4 you would get warnings on all kinds of friendly radars, I mean theoretically we could could fight a war against a country with f-16's, right? No airport radar though.

 

The procedure when suddenly locked by a friendly radar was to call on the radio "buddy spike" so whoever locked you up knows you're friendly. That was before the types of systems modeled in DCS A-10 (friendlies on TADS).

 

and I don't think threat assesment is based on range as there's really no way to know the range of an emitting radar (I think). Rather it is based on what the radar's doing, like sweeping you every now and then (search mode) or sweeping you frequently (tracking mode) or locked on (oh shit mode).

 

But I'm not an expert.

[Blaze1]

Hi,

 

Today I was thinking about the radar warning reciever and the radars used by the ATC. How is this handled in the real A-10. Will the air traffic controll radar lit up on your RWR display? And if yes how will it be labled? As an EWR, or something similar?

And if it doesn't lit up how is this handled? Other frequency band than EWR/SD/Tracking radars?

 

Thanks

 

John

Hi John

 

The AN/ALR-69 is supposed to work in the E to J bands with some C and D capability also. Some ATC radars operate in the L and S band, so it won't be able to pick those up. As bengo mentioned the ability to display ATC radars that are within its frequency domain (I mention display and not detect, as it should detect these emissions), will be down to how the software has been programmed and what mission files are currently loaded. As long as the system can recognise an ATC radar, it can be programmed to filter it out and not display it. On the off chance that an ATC radar functions in a way similar to a threat radar in search, the RWR will display its presence, either as an unknown emission or as an ambiguous emission.

 

Cheers

[Blaze1]

What are the little V shaped things that change direction in the ctr of the RWR ?

Hi badger66

 

If you're referring to the cycle timer (the small bar that moves up and down on the right), my understanding is that it provides the pilot with visible feedback on how the system is operating. In a high threat environment with many emitters broadcasting, the cycle time will slow down indicating that it requires more time to process all the signals its receiving.

 

I hope that helps

[xxJohnxx]

Hi,

 

Thanks for all your replies!

 

The AN/ALR-69 is supposed to work in the E to J bands with some C and D capability also. Some ATC radars operate in the L and S band, so it won't be able to pick those up. As bengo mentioned the ability to display ATC radars that are within its frequency domain (I mention display and not detect, as it should detect these emissions), will be down to how the software has been programmed and what mission files are currently loaded. As long as the system can recognise an ATC radar, it can be programmed to filter it out and not display it. On the off chance that an ATC radar functions in a way similar to a threat radar in search, the RWR will display its presence, either as an unknown emission or as an ambiguous emission.

 

Especially thanks to you Blaze1, your comment was very helpfull!

 

Best regards,

 

John

[badger66]

Hi badger66

 

If you're referring to the cycle timer (the small bar that moves up and down on the right), my understanding is that it provides the pilot with visible feedback on how the system is operating. In a high threat environment with many emitters broadcasting, the cycle time will slow down indicating that it requires more time to process all the signals its receiving.

 

I hope that helps

 

Thanks for that +1 :)

[GripenNG]

This may be a little OT - but how does the ATC detect stealth fighters?

If it`s hard for a military radar to pick up the Raptor for example, shouldn´t it be a lot harder for a civil?

[xxJohnxx]

I think as long as you have your transponder on, you look on the ATCs radar screen like any other aircraft. Mode C transponders give the ATC your flight level and your squawk. Mode S would additionally contain a 24-Bit regestritation number of the aircraft.

I think this is the only way ATC could "see" you, but I like to be corrected, if I am wrong!

BTW: I heard, that the SR-71 (stealth aircarft) exhaust gas would leave a pretty long line on a radar screen. The reason for this was, that the exhaust gas ionized, because of its temperature. This ionized gas reflects VHF-rays and could bee seen on the radar.

In "real" missions cesium was added to the JP-7 fuel to avoid this behaviour.

[Blaze1]

This may be a little OT - but how does the ATC detect stealth fighters?

If it`s hard for a military radar to pick up the Raptor for example, shouldn´t it be a lot harder for a civil?

I think the Raptor has an extendible radar reflector, which when deployed protrudes from underneath behind the weapons bay. If my memory is correct, it looks a little bit like a sausage on a stick.

[xxJohnxx]

I think the Raptor has an extendible radar reflector, which when deployed protrudes from underneath behind the weapons bay. If my memory is correct, it looks a little bit like a sausage on a stick.

 

Yeah, your right! I found some infos about this reflector:

[/url]pic 1

pic 2

How does it work?

 

John

[Blaze1]

Yeah, your right! I found some infos about this reflector:

[/url]pic 1

pic 2

How does it work?

 

John

Yep, that's the device, cheers John. I made a mistaking stating that it was retractable, when it actually has to attached or removed manually.