Phazotron NIIR Zhuk radar family

[Squirrel]

Was this really done in late year of Soviet Union? In description it is said that it was created for next generation fighter. So I assume some prototype for PAK/FA. About MFI - they was expected to have PESA ?

Yes it really was.It was developed in 1991. In the description it was mentioned that AESA was intended to the use for the 5th generation multimode on-board ( aircraft) radar station. Btw ,that was in fact 1st gen of AESA with the single channel TRM's.

 

[LukaszK]

What do you mean 1st gen AESA, with single channel TRM?
I do not have deep knowledge about AESA arrays - there are other experts on this forum, but as far as I know, tendency in creating AESA was : first they did multichannel module. It was case for western designs - some prototyping one. Also first modules for Zhuk-A - had 4 channels in single module.

https://www.ausairpower.net/APA-Zhuk-AE-Analysis.html

And later, at least in west, there was tendency to pack module more, and finally 1 channel module was found as optimal:

"The US industry abandoned multi-channel TR module technology during the early 1990s due to poor production yields and reproducability, introducing tiled single channel TR modules technology instead. In these modules, functions are divided by layer, and heat carried out of the module via the surrounding metal component. While Russian industry has yet to cross the hurdle of their first AESA using tiled modules, they have the US model to emulate and will thus take less time to introduce this technology than US industry did. In the words of one senior US engineer, "we had to learn the hard way" (Stimson)."


How is current tendency in Russian AESA I do not know.
All in all, on west - AESA development during cold war, they manage to develop just demonstrators like described in
https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/threads/f-22-avionics.39170/post-526527
https://web.archive.org/web/20220815000911/https://yf-23.webs.com/radar.html


see also:
https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/attachments/d4475a14-06e8-479e-affb-a4739b98b9ac-png.676367/

https://blog.naver.com/leftcore/50084092869?photoView=3

If Soviets develop such radar, functional radar - before colapse (before 91), they clearly seems to be above US level , or at lest on pair wit them, that time..

All in all I've never heard about this system. Do you have some more links , information?

 

[Squirrel]

@LukaszK
It was really the 1st gen AESA for the Soviet fighters which development began in the middle of the 1980's right after the work on the mighty N007M 'Zaslon-M' from the NIIP was finnished. NIIR Fazotron and NIIP named after V.V. Tikhomirov began to work on the first AESA in the same time ( of course for the new 5th gen fighter, program MFI or I-90). There was a story even from Russian sources that work on AESA was abandoned in the favour of the new PESA known as N014.But complete development ,project at all ,was so hidden from the public that nothing was known about it for years to come.

We must keep on mind that work on N007M 'Zaslon-M' for the MiG-31M was so hidden that US specialists knew about standard N007 'Zaslon' ( via we know from whom) but they never ever get any info or data about much more capable N007M.I think that what was presented on the MAKS 2001 after about a decade was only a model/technological demonstrator of the Soviet fighter's AESA.

All in all ,Soviets and US had AESA for the 5th gen fighter in the same time.Of course ,after 1991 there was no USSR any more, the rest is history.Today Russian tendency is to have multi-channel TRMs ( four channel ,eight channel ,even sixteen channel). I must find some more info/data ( links,sites ) on the MCM about this Soviet AESA 'cause I first learned about it there.

PS

When we talk about N010 'Zhuk', N010M 'Zhuk-M' e.g. , even today there is no relevant source of data for them ( I mean on 'civilian sources').

Example this article and its citation:

''Дальность обнаружения цели типа истребитель (ЭПР - 5 кв.м) - до 100-150 км. Антенна диаметром 980 мм обеспечивает увеличение характеристик РЛС по дальности в 1,5 раза, по сравнению с антенной диаметром 624 мм....''

Transl:

"The detection range of a fighter-type target (RCS - 5 square meters) is up to 100-150 km. A 980 mm diameter antenna provides a 1.5-fold increase in radar range compared to a 624 mm diameter antenna."

Source: http://www.aviaport.ru/news/70308/


Now how can it be when one N019M 'Topaz' ( btw, operational in the MiG-29S from 1992) could detect/track incoming MiG-21 with frontal RCS of 3sqm from 100km away.

N019M 'Topaz' with TWT of 1kW average power in the HPRF and N010 'Zhuk' with TWT of 1.5kW average power in the HPRF.

 

[F-2]

I don’t think the 2001 radar was from Soviet times. The article describes its modules as following then contemporary European trends.

 

[Squirrel]

I don’t think the 2001 radar was from Soviet times. The article describes its modules as following then contemporary European trends.

Sokol ?

''РЛС "Сокол"
РЛС "Сокол" создана 1955-1958 московской группой при опытном заводе 339, преобразованном в НИИ Фазатрон в 1962 г''

https://sovetarmy.forum2x2.ru/t824-topic
https://radar.narod.ru/rdr-ap-ra.html
''Air to air radar '' when it was clearly described as it was multimode radar ( A2A/A2G modes etc ) ,strange or maybe not .

Zhuk-A/AE was the first 'post-Soviet' AESA developed by the NIIR Phazotron.

https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/Phazotron17.09.09.pdf

 

[F-2]

When we talk about N010 'Zhuk', N010M 'Zhuk-M' e.g. , even today there is no relevant source of data for them ( I mean on 'civilian sources').

We have the pilots guide for the Yemeni version
https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/attachments/mig-29-smt-pocket_guide-pdf.705444/

 

[F-2]

Oh Zhuk serviceability in the Indian Navy

 

[Ronny]

Sorry pal, I didn't ask this question because we do not have the Mig-31 , but they do still offer the radar though. Maybe there is something mentioned in the Fazotron journal.

seem smaller or weaker than Zaslon?