AN/APS-70
Description of the radar set, tactical-technical characteristics
Figure 1: AWACS Blimp ZPG-3W
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| frequency: | 420 … 430 MHz
(UHF-band) |
| pulse repetition time (PRT): | |
| pulse repetition frequency (PRF): | 300 Hz |
| pulsewidth (τ): | 6 µs |
| receiving time: | |
| dead time: | |
| peak power: | 2 MW |
| average power: | |
| instrumented range: | 220 NM (≙ 410 km) |
| range resolution: | |
| accuracy: | |
| beamwidth: | |
| hits per scan: | |
| antenna rotation: | 6 rpm |
| MTBCF: | |
| MTTR: | |
AN/APS-70
AN/APS-70 was an operating in the UHF-band airborne early warning radar. It was capable of detecting distant flying objects through multiple layers of cloud clutter.
The AN/APS-70 was fielded in three experimental development versions. Two radars were built by Lincoln Laboratory, two by Hazeltine Electronics, and two by General Electric (GE). The broadband 425-megahertz antennas (including Identification Friend-or-Foe, IFF) were supplied by Hughes. All three firms carried out production under contract to Lincoln Laboratory, and the technology was thus transferred to industry.
The AN/APS-70 was used in P2V-6, EC-121, EZ-1C, and in the blimp ZPG-3W. In the EC-121, the antenna is located in the large black radome under the fuselage. On the ZPG-3W, the the radar was installed inside the helium envelope, supported from the bottom of this radar platform. Above the envelope was a small radome with an additional height finder AN/APS-62. The AN/APS-70 search radar had a rotating antenna measuring 40 feet wide by 6 feet high ( 12.2 x 1.8 m). An IFF (interrogation friend or foe) antenna was attached at the bottom of the AN/APS-70 antenna.
