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2018-09-09
Sentinel R1 Next-Gen ISR Support
The Sentinel R.Mk1 provides long-range, wide-area battlefield surveillance giving British and coalition forces the ability to track armoured formations, conduct strategic reconnaissance and deliver critical intelligence tasks.
Based on the Global Express business jet, the Sentinel has been operationally deployed in support of operations in Afghanistan, Libya and Mali, and currently in Iraq and Syria. It has proven flexible to adapt to humanitarian crises, such as mapping and scaling England’s flood crisis
in early 2014.
Bombardier and Raytheon UK originally intended the Sentinel R1 aircraft for conventional war-fighting operations. While the UK’s Raytheon Systems is the prime contractor, Bombardier Aerospace is responsible for the Global Express Jet and L-3 Communications for the Ground Station. Lucas Aerospace manages the electrical systems, Messier Dowty, the landing gear, while AgustaWestland provides the doors and Rolls-Royce, the engines.
ISR Multi-Mode Capability
The Sentinel uses a powerful multi-mode radar mission crew to identify track and image numerous targets over great ranges. The information is then passed in near real-time to a team of Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (ISR) imagery analysts conducting forensic data analysis to generate intelligence products for time-critical dissemination, enabling commanders and decision-makers to execute current operations and plan future strategies.
Historical R1 Development
During the early 1980s, the UK government identified a need for a wide-area battlefield reconnaissance system to fit the Corps Airborne Stand-Off Radar (CASTOR) programme requirement, so eliciting responses from Thorn-EMI and Ferranti. The former’s radar was tested in an English Electric Canberra from 1982, while a Britten-Norman Islander modified to take the latter, first flew in 1984.
By 1988 the programme had become ASTOR and, with a Thorn-EMI radar installed, the Islander flew low-altitude trials examining its compatibility with the USAF’s prototype E-8 J-STARS (Joint-Surveillance Target Acquisition Radar System). This work was part of a definition phase which, it was hoped, would enable a contract award in 1994.
It was not until 1999 that Raytheon Systems Ltd was awarded an $860m contract for development of the UK Ministry of Defence’s ASTOR using Bombardier’s Global Express business jet as the airborne platform and Raytheon’s ASARS-2 radar mission system. Developed for the USAF’s U-2, the ASTOR became known as Sentinel R1 in RAF service, with the first production aircraft delivered to Raytheon in February 2002 for ASTOR integration.
While the first ground station vehicle was delivered in October 2002, the first ASTOR Sentinel aircraft made its maiden flight in May 2004, the second in July 2005. Three Sentinel aircraft then took part in formal flight testing and the first two Sentinel R1 aircraft were delivered to the UK Royal Air Force in June and November 2007, with the fifth and last aircraft received by the RAF in February 2009.
With the main ASTOR operating centre based at RAF Waddington in the UK, the Sentinel immediately proved its worth over Afghanistan and during Operation Ellamy in 2011, becoming a vital target identification and prosecution link, especially for fleeting or ‘pop-up’ targets. Although the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review nominated Sentinel for withdrawal as soon as the Operation Herrick commitment ended, such was the system’s value to British and allied commanders that it was given a reprieve and has continued to prove its worth in Operation
Shader with its out-of-service date moved back to 2021.
Unparalleled Situational Awareness
The Sentinel R Mk 1 fleet is a key Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Information/Intelligence, Surveillance, Targeting Acquisition and Reconnaissance (C4ISTAR) asset for the UK’s armed forces, using an onboard Airborne Stand-Off Radar (ASTOR) reconnaissance system to deliver accurate target information while accelerating decision-making.
Operated by the Royal Air Force’s No5 Army Cooperation Sqn, the ASTOR system incorporates the Sentinel and ground components with the aircraft’s powerful active electronically-scanned array (AESA) ‘dual mode’ surveillance radar, combining the best in ground-moving target indicator (GMTI) with synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery for unparalleled situational awareness.
Imagery is passed by secure data link to ground stations at every command-and-control level and, by operating at high altitude and long range stand-off distances, the radar platform can remain over safe territory while providing an excellent “look-down” target area angle. The five-aircraft special mission fleet thus houses an innovative airborne mission management system providing troops with continuous 24-hour all weather, air-to-ground surveillance wide area capabilities and serving as a recognised force multiplier to provide commanders with the most effective utilisation of their available assets.
Stand-Off Radar System
The radar is an upgrade of the Raytheon ASARS-2 side looking airborne radar used on the U-2 aircraft, operating at high altitude and all-weather to provide high-resolution images. With antenna systems supplied by BAE Systems Edinburgh, the ASARS-2 can reportedly provide battlefield images at ranges of 160 km and altitudes up to 47,000ft.
The ASARS-2 derivative’s active scanned array includes a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) which provides photographic quality images of the area being surveyed and a moving target indicator (MTI radar) which tracks moving vehicles over wide ranges. The SAR thus operates in spot mode to identify and track specific targets, with the option of being switched to swath mode to provide a large number of strips of pictures, then joined to form a detailed image of the battlefield.
SAR/MTI Radar Operation
The SAR/MTI radar acts to identify the location of hostile forces and their quantity, direction and speed, while additional imagery can be provided by optional optical equipment. Transmitted in real time via secure data links to ground-based processing stations, the radar signal processors develop the data into visual images.
Imagery can be displayed and exploited by the airborne mission crew or transmitted to image exploitation equipment on the ground. Transmission to other areas is made possible via secure data links, satellite communications and ground networks.
Modified to ISR Specifications
As a modified Bombardier Global Express, the Sentinel R1 programme involves five aircraft and eight mobile ground stations (six on wheeled all terrain vehicles and two in air transportable containers) and a training facility at RAF Waddington.
Flown by two flight deck crew and three mission crew, the ultra-long-range Bombardier Aerospace-Short Brothers Global Express business jet can accommodate the radars and communications systems required by ASTOR. Its modifications include a canoe-shaped radome under the forward fuselage to house the radar antenna, a radome on the upper fuselage to house the SATCOM antenna, a "bullet-fairing" extension on the vertical stabiliser and delta fins under the aft fuselage.
Defence and Countermeasures
The Sentinel R1 is equipped with the Defensive Aids Group (DAG) integrated electronic warfare suite from BAE Systems’ Information & Electronic Warfare Systems (IEWS). DAG is based on the defensive aids subsystem (DASS) developed by BAE for the UK’s Replacement Maritime Patrol Aircraft, Nimrod MRA4 programme.
The Sentinel cockpit has a centrally housed, pull-down screen capable of displaying a moving map, Link 16 datalink information and defensive aids subsystem (DASS) data. It is comprised of a towed radar decoy, missile approach warning system and chaff and flare dispensers to be operated in automatic, semi-automatic or manual mode, with aircraft modification, systems integration and flight testing carried out by Raytheon Systems.
FADEC-Controlled Twin Engines
The engines for the ASTOR aircraft are identical to those deployed on the disbanded UK RAF Nimrod MRA4 aircraft, with each Rolls-Royce BR710 two-shaft turbofan engine producing 14,000lbf to 17,000lbf (63kN to 76kN) flat-rated take-off thrust.
The engine configuration consists of a 48-inch wide-chord-fan with 24 solid titanium blades, a ten-stage high compressor, annular axial flow combustion chamber, a two-stage high-pressure turbine and two-stage low-pressure turbine accompanied by a dual lane full authority digital engine control (FADEC).
Optimal Flight Performance
The maximum speed of the Sentinel aircraft is 982km/h, flying at an altitude of more than 40,000ft with a range and service ceiling of 9,260km and 14935m respectively. While the aircraft weighs around 24,000kg and the gross weight is 42,400kg, its mission endurance is 14 hours.
Ground Station Specifications
High-speed data links transfer data from the Sentinel R1 to ground stations in near real time. The system has directional and broadcast data links which are interoperable with existing U-2Rs, JSTARS and command-and-control networks.
The tactical and operational level ground stations have been developed by L-3 Communications Integrated Systems, Raytheon Systems and Marshall Specialist Vehicles. They are installed in 10ft shelters mounted on 6×6 improved medium mobility Steyr Pinzgauer 718K trucks with 20ft transportable shelters provided for operational level ground stations.
Ultra Electronics and Cubic Defence Systems now provide the narrowband datalink subsystem (NDLS), which will transmit the radar sensor data between the aircraft and the ground stations. L3 Communications is supplying the wideband data link based on a common data link (CDL).
Indian Interest in Sentinel
In October 2017, Indian defence officials requested the purchase of two Raytheon Sentinel aircraft in a letter sent from the Indian Ministry of Defence to the U.S. Department of Defence. In the light of delays to the Indian Air Force's surveillance programmes, officials noted last year that the Raytheon programme should take priority.
The Ministry of Defence has also created a joint committee with officials and scientists drawn from the Defence Research and Development Organisation and Air Force. Their objective is to facilitate the acquisition programme and select mission equipment and software.
Reference Text/Photo:
www.raytheon.com
www.raf.mod.uk
Based on the Global Express business jet, the Sentinel has been operationally deployed in support of operations in Afghanistan, Libya and Mali, and currently in Iraq and Syria. It has proven flexible to adapt to humanitarian crises, such as mapping and scaling England’s flood crisis
in early 2014.
Bombardier and Raytheon UK originally intended the Sentinel R1 aircraft for conventional war-fighting operations. While the UK’s Raytheon Systems is the prime contractor, Bombardier Aerospace is responsible for the Global Express Jet and L-3 Communications for the Ground Station. Lucas Aerospace manages the electrical systems, Messier Dowty, the landing gear, while AgustaWestland provides the doors and Rolls-Royce, the engines.
ISR Multi-Mode Capability
The Sentinel uses a powerful multi-mode radar mission crew to identify track and image numerous targets over great ranges. The information is then passed in near real-time to a team of Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (ISR) imagery analysts conducting forensic data analysis to generate intelligence products for time-critical dissemination, enabling commanders and decision-makers to execute current operations and plan future strategies.
Historical R1 Development
During the early 1980s, the UK government identified a need for a wide-area battlefield reconnaissance system to fit the Corps Airborne Stand-Off Radar (CASTOR) programme requirement, so eliciting responses from Thorn-EMI and Ferranti. The former’s radar was tested in an English Electric Canberra from 1982, while a Britten-Norman Islander modified to take the latter, first flew in 1984.
By 1988 the programme had become ASTOR and, with a Thorn-EMI radar installed, the Islander flew low-altitude trials examining its compatibility with the USAF’s prototype E-8 J-STARS (Joint-Surveillance Target Acquisition Radar System). This work was part of a definition phase which, it was hoped, would enable a contract award in 1994.
It was not until 1999 that Raytheon Systems Ltd was awarded an $860m contract for development of the UK Ministry of Defence’s ASTOR using Bombardier’s Global Express business jet as the airborne platform and Raytheon’s ASARS-2 radar mission system. Developed for the USAF’s U-2, the ASTOR became known as Sentinel R1 in RAF service, with the first production aircraft delivered to Raytheon in February 2002 for ASTOR integration.
While the first ground station vehicle was delivered in October 2002, the first ASTOR Sentinel aircraft made its maiden flight in May 2004, the second in July 2005. Three Sentinel aircraft then took part in formal flight testing and the first two Sentinel R1 aircraft were delivered to the UK Royal Air Force in June and November 2007, with the fifth and last aircraft received by the RAF in February 2009.
With the main ASTOR operating centre based at RAF Waddington in the UK, the Sentinel immediately proved its worth over Afghanistan and during Operation Ellamy in 2011, becoming a vital target identification and prosecution link, especially for fleeting or ‘pop-up’ targets. Although the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review nominated Sentinel for withdrawal as soon as the Operation Herrick commitment ended, such was the system’s value to British and allied commanders that it was given a reprieve and has continued to prove its worth in Operation
Shader with its out-of-service date moved back to 2021.
Unparalleled Situational Awareness
The Sentinel R Mk 1 fleet is a key Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Information/Intelligence, Surveillance, Targeting Acquisition and Reconnaissance (C4ISTAR) asset for the UK’s armed forces, using an onboard Airborne Stand-Off Radar (ASTOR) reconnaissance system to deliver accurate target information while accelerating decision-making.
Operated by the Royal Air Force’s No5 Army Cooperation Sqn, the ASTOR system incorporates the Sentinel and ground components with the aircraft’s powerful active electronically-scanned array (AESA) ‘dual mode’ surveillance radar, combining the best in ground-moving target indicator (GMTI) with synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery for unparalleled situational awareness.
Imagery is passed by secure data link to ground stations at every command-and-control level and, by operating at high altitude and long range stand-off distances, the radar platform can remain over safe territory while providing an excellent “look-down” target area angle. The five-aircraft special mission fleet thus houses an innovative airborne mission management system providing troops with continuous 24-hour all weather, air-to-ground surveillance wide area capabilities and serving as a recognised force multiplier to provide commanders with the most effective utilisation of their available assets.
Stand-Off Radar System
The radar is an upgrade of the Raytheon ASARS-2 side looking airborne radar used on the U-2 aircraft, operating at high altitude and all-weather to provide high-resolution images. With antenna systems supplied by BAE Systems Edinburgh, the ASARS-2 can reportedly provide battlefield images at ranges of 160 km and altitudes up to 47,000ft.
The ASARS-2 derivative’s active scanned array includes a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) which provides photographic quality images of the area being surveyed and a moving target indicator (MTI radar) which tracks moving vehicles over wide ranges. The SAR thus operates in spot mode to identify and track specific targets, with the option of being switched to swath mode to provide a large number of strips of pictures, then joined to form a detailed image of the battlefield.
SAR/MTI Radar Operation
The SAR/MTI radar acts to identify the location of hostile forces and their quantity, direction and speed, while additional imagery can be provided by optional optical equipment. Transmitted in real time via secure data links to ground-based processing stations, the radar signal processors develop the data into visual images.
Imagery can be displayed and exploited by the airborne mission crew or transmitted to image exploitation equipment on the ground. Transmission to other areas is made possible via secure data links, satellite communications and ground networks.
Modified to ISR Specifications
As a modified Bombardier Global Express, the Sentinel R1 programme involves five aircraft and eight mobile ground stations (six on wheeled all terrain vehicles and two in air transportable containers) and a training facility at RAF Waddington.
Flown by two flight deck crew and three mission crew, the ultra-long-range Bombardier Aerospace-Short Brothers Global Express business jet can accommodate the radars and communications systems required by ASTOR. Its modifications include a canoe-shaped radome under the forward fuselage to house the radar antenna, a radome on the upper fuselage to house the SATCOM antenna, a "bullet-fairing" extension on the vertical stabiliser and delta fins under the aft fuselage.
Defence and Countermeasures
The Sentinel R1 is equipped with the Defensive Aids Group (DAG) integrated electronic warfare suite from BAE Systems’ Information & Electronic Warfare Systems (IEWS). DAG is based on the defensive aids subsystem (DASS) developed by BAE for the UK’s Replacement Maritime Patrol Aircraft, Nimrod MRA4 programme.
The Sentinel cockpit has a centrally housed, pull-down screen capable of displaying a moving map, Link 16 datalink information and defensive aids subsystem (DASS) data. It is comprised of a towed radar decoy, missile approach warning system and chaff and flare dispensers to be operated in automatic, semi-automatic or manual mode, with aircraft modification, systems integration and flight testing carried out by Raytheon Systems.
FADEC-Controlled Twin Engines
The engines for the ASTOR aircraft are identical to those deployed on the disbanded UK RAF Nimrod MRA4 aircraft, with each Rolls-Royce BR710 two-shaft turbofan engine producing 14,000lbf to 17,000lbf (63kN to 76kN) flat-rated take-off thrust.
The engine configuration consists of a 48-inch wide-chord-fan with 24 solid titanium blades, a ten-stage high compressor, annular axial flow combustion chamber, a two-stage high-pressure turbine and two-stage low-pressure turbine accompanied by a dual lane full authority digital engine control (FADEC).
Optimal Flight Performance
The maximum speed of the Sentinel aircraft is 982km/h, flying at an altitude of more than 40,000ft with a range and service ceiling of 9,260km and 14935m respectively. While the aircraft weighs around 24,000kg and the gross weight is 42,400kg, its mission endurance is 14 hours.
Ground Station Specifications
High-speed data links transfer data from the Sentinel R1 to ground stations in near real time. The system has directional and broadcast data links which are interoperable with existing U-2Rs, JSTARS and command-and-control networks.
The tactical and operational level ground stations have been developed by L-3 Communications Integrated Systems, Raytheon Systems and Marshall Specialist Vehicles. They are installed in 10ft shelters mounted on 6×6 improved medium mobility Steyr Pinzgauer 718K trucks with 20ft transportable shelters provided for operational level ground stations.
Ultra Electronics and Cubic Defence Systems now provide the narrowband datalink subsystem (NDLS), which will transmit the radar sensor data between the aircraft and the ground stations. L3 Communications is supplying the wideband data link based on a common data link (CDL).
Indian Interest in Sentinel
In October 2017, Indian defence officials requested the purchase of two Raytheon Sentinel aircraft in a letter sent from the Indian Ministry of Defence to the U.S. Department of Defence. In the light of delays to the Indian Air Force's surveillance programmes, officials noted last year that the Raytheon programme should take priority.
The Ministry of Defence has also created a joint committee with officials and scientists drawn from the Defence Research and Development Organisation and Air Force. Their objective is to facilitate the acquisition programme and select mission equipment and software.
Reference Text/Photo:
www.raytheon.com
www.raf.mod.uk
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