Wedgetail MESA tech

May 24, 2009 · Posted in Blogroll, Uncategorized · Comment 

ELP has dug up an interesting video that details some of the technical aspects of the B-737 AEW Wedgetail’s sophisticated MESA radar.

ELP speculates that the Wedgetail may prove to be the affordable Sentry-replacement solution for a cash-strapped USAF. I don’t see this happening primarily because selecting the B-737 as an AEW platform would be a step back for the USAF in terms of mission capacity (internal volume, cooling & power for avionics & crew) and airborne duration. A more likely path is a further upgrade of the E-3 fleet with AESA radars until airframe fatigue renders their wholsesale replacement inevitable (as is currently happening with the KC-135 fleet).

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