The Russian (former
USSR
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
) BRLS-8B "Zaslon" (Barrier) is an all-weather multimode airborne
radar
Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, w ...
developed between 1975 and 1980 by the
as part of the weapons control system of the
MiG-31
The Mikoyan MiG-31 (russian: link=no, Микоян МиГ-31; NATO reporting name: Foxhound) is a supersonic interceptor aircraft that was developed for use by the Soviet Air Forces. The aircraft was designed by the Mikoyan design bureau as a ...
supersonic
Supersonic speed is the speed of an object that exceeds the speed of sound ( Mach 1). For objects traveling in dry air of a temperature of 20 °C (68 °F) at sea level, this speed is approximately . Speeds greater than five times ...
interceptor
Interceptor may refer to:
Vehicles
* Interceptor aircraft (or simply "interceptor"), a type of point defense fighter aircraft designed specifically to intercept and destroy enemy aircraft
* Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor, a police car
* ...
. The
NATO reporting name
NATO reporting names are code names for military equipment from Russia, China, and historically, the Eastern Bloc (Soviet Union and other nations of the Warsaw Pact). They provide unambiguous and easily understood English words in a uniform manne ...
for the radar is Flash Dance with the designations "SBI-16", "RP-31", "N007" and "S-800" also being associated with the radar.
Description
The Zaslon is a
pulse-Doppler radar
A pulse-Doppler radar is a radar system that determines the range to a target using pulse-timing techniques, and uses the Doppler effect of the returned signal to determine the target object's velocity. It combines the features of pulse radars an ...
with a
passive electronically scanned array (PESA) antenna and digital signal processing. The antenna used by the Zaslon is actually a multi-channel system comprising two separate electronically controlled arrays, an
X band
The X band is the designation for a band of frequencies in the microwave radio region of the electromagnetic spectrum. In some cases, such as in communication engineering, the frequency range of the X band is rather indefinitely set at approxim ...
radar with 1700 emitters and a
L band
The L band is the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) designation for the range of frequencies in the radio spectrum from 1 to 2 gigahertz (GHz). This is at the top end of the ultra high frequency (UHF) band, at the lower en ...
transponder with 64 emitters brought together into a single antenna.
The antenna has a diameter of 1.1 meters and is fixed in position with a scanning sector of ±70 degrees in azimuth and +70/−60 degrees in elevation.
The X-band components of the radar uses reciprocal ferrite phase shifters that allow the radar to position beams in around 1.2 ms.
This high performance is one of the big advantages of phased array radars compared with the previous generation of mechanically scanned arrays which take seconds to perform the same functions as a phased array. The detection performance of the Zaslon radar is stated to be 200 km against a target with a
radar cross section
Radar cross-section (RCS), also called radar signature, is a measure of how detectable an object is by radar. A larger RCS indicates that an object is more easily detected.
An object reflects a limited amount of radar energy back to the source. ...
(RCS) of 16 m
2, the radar can track up to 10 targets while engaging 4 of those at any one time with either
R-33 radar guided or
R-40,
R-60 IR-guided air-to-air missiles.
The Zaslon was the Soviet Union's first
look-down/shoot-down A radar system has look-down/shoot-down capability if it can detect, track and guide a weapon to an air target that (as seen by the radar) is silhouetted against the ground.
Problem and naming
Airborne intercept radar relying exclusively on time ...
radar. This made it much harder for
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...
aircraft and cruise missiles to penetrate the Soviet airspace at low altitude (through
Terrain mask
Nap-of-the-earth (NOE) is a type of very low-altitude flight course used by military aircraft to avoid enemy detection and attack in a high-threat environment. Other, mostly older terms include "ground-hugging", "terrain masking", "flying under t ...
ing/
clutter (radar)
Clutter
is a term used for unwanted echoes in electronic systems, particularly in reference to radars. Such echoes are typically returned from ground, sea, rain, animals/insects, chaff and atmospheric turbulences, and can cause serious performance ...
), without being detected.
The radar was a landmark in aviation since it was the first time a PESA radar (previously found only on ground-based systems and the
B-1 strategic bomber) had been installed in a jet fighter. The Zaslon radar was publicly unveiled at the 1991 Paris Airshow with its associated MiG-31 interceptor, the Russians even removing the radome of the fighter to allow the Zaslon's revolutionary antenna to be seen. Also at Paris was the US
F-117
The Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk is a retired American single-seat, twin-engine stealth attack aircraft developed by Lockheed's secretive Skunk Works division and operated by the United States Air Force (USAF). It was the first operational air ...
Nighthawk (revolutionary for its use of stealth technology) which the Russians suggested should take to the air with the MiG-31 to see if the Zaslon could detect the F-117. Unfortunately no such contest was ever conducted though Russian experts were confident that Zaslon would have been able to detect the F-117 during flight.
Zaslon uses an Argon-15A computer (first airborne digital computer designed in USSR by Research Institute of Computer Engineering (NICEVT, currently NII Argon).
[Zaslon radar](_blank)
at MiG Design Bureau extra web-site
at www.computer-museum.ru
Specifications
Adopted in 1981 RP-31 N007 ''backstop'' (Russian -''Zaslon'').
* the range of detection of air targets for Zaslon-A: 200 km (for the purpose of a
radar cross-section
Radar cross-section (RCS), also called radar signature, is a measure of how detectable an object is by radar. A larger RCS indicates that an object is more easily detected.
An object reflects a limited amount of radar energy back to the source. ...
of 19 m
2 on a collision angle with probability 0.5)
* target detection distance with
radar cross-section
Radar cross-section (RCS), also called radar signature, is a measure of how detectable an object is by radar. A larger RCS indicates that an object is more easily detected.
An object reflects a limited amount of radar energy back to the source. ...
of 3 m
2 in the rear within 35 km with a probability of 0.5 (
[http://www.roe.ru/cataloque/air_craft/aircraft_16-19.pdf ])
* number of detected targets: 24 (was originally 10
)
* number of targets for attack: 6 (was originally 4
)
* range of automatic tracking: 120 km
* detection of thermal goals: 56 km
* Has great opportunities for the detection of cruise missiles and other targets against the background of the earth's surface
* The MiG-31 was the world's only serial fighter equipped with phased array radar until 2000,
when the
Mitsubishi F-2
The Mitsubishi F-2 is a multirole fighter derived from the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon, and manufactured by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Lockheed Martin for the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, with a 60/40 split in manufacturing betw ...
and a single squadron of
F-15C
The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is an American twin-engine, all-weather tactical fighter aircraft designed by McDonnell Douglas (now part of Boeing). Following reviews of proposals, the United States Air Force selected McDonnell Douglas's ...
s entered service with state of the art
J/APG-1
The J/APG-1 is an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar system designed and manufactured by Mitsubishi Electric for use on the Mitsubishi F-2 fighter aircraft starting in 2002. It was the first series production AESA to be introduced o ...
active phased array
An active electronically scanned array (AESA) is a type of phased array antenna, which is a computer-controlled array antenna in which the beam of radio waves can be electronically steered to point in different directions without moving the ant ...
and
AN/APG-63
The AN/APG-63 and AN/APG-70 are a family of all-weather multimode radar systems designed by Hughes Aircraft (later Raytheon) for the F-15 Eagle air superiority fighter. These X band pulse-Doppler radar systems are designed for both air-air and ...
(V)2 radars, respectively.
The basic differences between other versions and the MiG-31BM:
The onboard radar complex of the MiG-31BM can track 24 airborne targets at one time, 6 of which can be simultaneously attacked by
R-33S missiles.
The MiG-31M, MiG-31D, and MiG-31BM standard aircraft have an upgraded ''Zaslon-M'' radar, with larger antenna and greater detection range (said to be 400 km (250 mi) against
AWACS-size targets) and the ability to attack multiple targets — air and ground — simultaneously. The Zaslon-M has a 1.4 m diameter (larger) antenna, with 50% to 100% better performance than Zaslon. In April 1994 it was used with an
R-37 to hit a target at 300 km distance.
It has a search range of 400 km for a 19/20 m
2 RCS target and can track 24 targets at once, engaging six
(282 km for 5 m
2). Target speed increased from 5 Mach to 6 Mach, improving possibility of firing through the land.
The MiG-31 is one of only a few aircraft able to intercept and destroy cruise missiles flying at extremely low heights.
Variants
* Zaslon-A
* Zaslon-M. The development of the modernised MiG-31M in 1983 and later the MiG-31BM interceptors also led to the introduction of an improved Zaslon fire control radar, the Zaslon-M. The Zaslon-M differs from the original Zaslon radar in firstly having a larger antenna, increased to 1.4 meters in diameter and an increased detection range of 400 km for 20 m
2 RCS.
Tracks 24 targets at once, engages 6. In April 1994 used with an
R-37 to hit a target at 300 km distance.
[Zaslon radar](_blank)
at Toad Design web-site
* Zaslon-AM, an upgraded version by Leninets and NIIP, Argon-15A replaced with Baget processors
See also
*
MiG-31
The Mikoyan MiG-31 (russian: link=no, Микоян МиГ-31; NATO reporting name: Foxhound) is a supersonic interceptor aircraft that was developed for use by the Soviet Air Forces. The aircraft was designed by the Mikoyan design bureau as a ...
*
List of radars
A radar is an electronic system used to determine and detect the range of target and maps various types of targets.This is a list of radars.
Argentina
Australia
Brazil
Egypt
Europe
India Military
Airborne
*LCA MMR - 3D advanced, ligh ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zaslon Radar
Aircraft radars
Science and technology in the Soviet Union
Russian and Soviet military radars
Tikhomirov Scientific Research Institute of Instrument Design products
Military equipment introduced in the 1980s