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Home | Update | Latest Issue | Gallery | FR Profile | Datafiles | FR 8/97 HUGHES HISAR: SHARP PICTURES FOR A SMALL BUDGET by Karl Schwarz Synthetic aperture radars are not new. However, due to the high price, these systems were only interesting for military applications (for example the Lockheed U-2 and the Northrop Grumman E-8 Joint-STARS) or satellites so far. With HISAR (Hughes Integrated Synthetic Aperture Radar) Hughes Aircraft now wants to open a larger market. "HISAR can be used for border or maritime patrol, long-distance surveillance, as well as, for detection of environmental pollutions", explains marketing manager Justin C. Monger. For these tasks, HISAR can operate in various modes, offering a best resolution of 1,8 meters: The wide-area search mode is good for a first overview, covering 5600 square kilometers per minute (resolution 20 m). The same area can be checked for moving targets (10 to 72 km/h). A strip map covers a strip of 37 kilometers in width (6 m resolution). In the spot mode the radar is concentrating on an area of 10 square kilometers (resolution 1,8 meters). In maritime surveillance, ships of 250 square meters in size can be detected out to 200 kilometers distance. Air targets can be detected also. The radar, which is operating in the X-Band, has a range of approximately 110 kilometers. According to Hughes, there is no performance degradation up to this range, meaning that a spot picture at 90 km distance should be as sharp as a picture taken only 20 km away. The radar data is processed by a special computer and is handed over in digital format to a display processor (up to 8000 x 8000 pixels per picture). The processed picture can be presented at one or more workstations in the aircraft. Alternately, a data link to a ground station can be integrated. The operator on board the aircraft has two displays which show the radar picture and the tactical situation. To a large extent, Hughes used existing commercial standards for the development of software and hardware, enabling the company to reduce the price for HISAR to approximately four million US dollars. Of cource, the aircraft is extra. A Beech King Air 200 from Raytheon (price: $4,8 million) is being used as the demonstrator. Since HISAR weighs only 250 kg and the installation space is relatively small, business jets may be under consideration as potential platforms also. The US Army has installed a derivative of HISAR in two Dash 7s which have been operated in South Korea since September of last year. Due to these aircraft's larger cabin, the "airborne reconnaissance low-multi-functional" system can be operated from four workstations. It is a plus for Hughes' marketing activities that HISAR has already been ordered by the US forces. However, it delayed the market introduction of the system. Beginning at the Aérosalon in Paris, a ten-month demonstration tour will promote the system in 16 countries. The Hughes marketing experts hope for the first orders this year. Based on the reactions of potential customers so far, in most cases Hughes will probably not just deliver the radar but will put together a flexibly system with additional sensors such as high focal-length cameras and infrared detectors. Hughes has options available for both of these technologies. From page 50 of FLUG REVUE 8/97 Home | Update | Latest Issue | Gallery | FR Profile | Datafiles | FR 8/97 Copyright 1997 by Motor-Presse Stuttgart. All rights reserved. Last updated July 4, 1997 FLUG REVUE, Ubierstr. 83, 53173 Bonn, Germany