..

-
THE A P C RADAR
~ AND ITS DERIVATIVE

L. J. Kuchinski
T.R. Patton
Westinghouse Electric Corporation //
Baltimore, Maryland I

Abstract

The APG-66, an airborne radar originally designed for the F-16 The APG-66 radar, designed for the F-16 aircraft is an excellent
A/B aircraft is described here. Applications of this radar have example of an avionics system with the functional modularity to
included the U.S. Customs where the radar was used for locating handle a diverse number of applications (see figure 1) ranging
drug traffic, DIVAD in which the radar provided the fire control from tactical fighter fire control to battlefield division air defense.
radar function, the Japanese F-4 and various shipboard and heli- The functional modularity is a result of hardware modularity
copters systems. combined with digital processing and control of the individual
radar units. This, combined with another important consideration-
Currently, a second generation APG-66 is being developed for the design-to-cost- suggests why the APG-66 radar has seen such
Downloaded by Freie Universitaet Berlin on January 16, 2017 | http://arc.aiaa.org | DOI: 10.2514/6.1984-2609

F-16 C/D aircraft. This radar, the APG-68, is even more versatile widespread and diverse usage.
because the individual LRU's have a greater degree of flexibility.
The programmable signal processor has the capacity to accommo- The genesis for the APG-66 radar was an in-house Westinghouse-
date numerous air-to-air and air-to-ground modes plus growth. developed radar labeled the WX-200. Radars up to this time ex-
The transmitter is capable of producing high, low, and medium hibited low reliability, were difficult to maintain, and, because of
PRF waveforms with the same efficiency through use of a dual their analog nature, did not have the flexibility to handle new
mode tube. The modular receiver is designed for ease of mainte- threats, new modes or new applications. The WX-200 radar incor-
nance and incorporates significant advancements in stability and porated the first programmable signal processor (PSP) designed
ECCM. A variant of the APG-68 is being produced for use on the for airborne radar applications, was modular and provided a
B-IB. unique feature-digital control of all the radar line replaceable units
(LRUs).
Developments have been initiated to further improve this radar by
incorporation of an electronically agile antenna to provide superior
multitarget performance and insertion of VHSIC technology to
provide more processing power and higher reliability. Both these
changes can be more accommodated without disturbing the basic
form factor of the radar.

B-10 ORS

Figure 1. The APG-66 Radar and Its Applications

Copyright @ American institute of Aeronautics and

Astronautics, Inc., 1984. All rights reserved.
 The product of that development, shown in figure 2, was the The APG-66 radar consists of six functional LRU's each with its
APG-66 radar, a modular, all digitally controlled, coherent, pulse- own self-contained power supply. The major elements of the radar
doppler radar. Over 1000 APG-66 radars have been produced to are shown in figure 3. A digital multiplex bus system provides
date. Its inherent high reliability and automatic fault isolation communications between the radar computer and the other LRU's.
capability minimize total life-cycle cost. Demonstrated reliability The digital signal processor (DSP) is connected via a dedicated
exceeded 70 hrs in the second year of USAF operational use. high-speed parallel bus; the other LRU's communicate with the
radar computer over a serial bus.
Downloaded by Freie Universitaet Berlin on January 16, 2017 | http://arc.aiaa.org | DOI: 10.2514/6.1984-2609

Computer
I Low Power PRF
Digital sign;l Processor
Antenna Transmitter

Weight . . . . . . . . .
Power . . . . . . . . .3.6kVA
Cooling Air . . . . . .2.8 kW
Volume . . . . . . . .3.63ft3

Figure 2. APG-66 Radar Characteristics

Figure 3. APG-66 Radar Elements

69
 The planar array, gimballed in two axes, provides high gain and
low sidelobes over all scan angles. Its balanced electrical drive
system makes it light weight, highly reliable and easily maintained. Volume 3.6 ft3 (0.102 m3)
Weight 2% Ib (123.3 kg)
The low-power receiver unit contains the stable local oscillator, low Frequency X-Rand Pulse Doppler
noise amplifier (LNA), receiver, A/D converters and system clock. Reliahilitp 97 Hour Demonstration MTBF
All necessary analog processing at RF and IF is performed in this Maintenance 5 Minute Flightline MTTR
unit. Electronic Parts 9500
Cooling Air Cooled at 12 Wmin
The transmitter contains an air-cooled traveling wave tube (TWT), Input Power 3580 VA, 400 H r , 245 Wdc
a solid-state grid pulser, high voltage power supply and regulators Range Scales 10,20,40,80 nmi
and the protection and control circuitry. The entire transmitter is Elevation Coverage 1.2, or 4 bar
solid state with the exception of the TWT output tube. Antenna Azimuth Scan + 10, +30, 60 degrees
_+

Clutter rejection, digital filtering and detection processing are

performed in the DSF? The DSP uses standard integrated circu'its
mounted in dual in-line packages; LSI devices are used wherever
possible. The result is high circuitry density with attendant reduc-
tions in cost and weight. Table 1. APG-66 Radar Parameten

The radar computer configures the radar system for the various
modes, directs the DSP to embed symbols in the video output,
performs specialized mode processing, routes data to the outside The success of the APG-66 radar spawned a number of diverse
Downloaded by Freie Universitaet Berlin on January 16, 2017 | http://arc.aiaa.org | DOI: 10.2514/6.1984-2609

world and controls all self-test and built-in test functions of the applications, both military and commercial. Probably the most
radar. The radar is equipped with 48K of programmable, read- significant of these was the Division Air Defense (DIVAD) radar
only memory and provides throughputs in excess of 350 KOPS for f& the SGT York air defense gun currently being produced for the
representative instruction mixes. U.S. Army (see figure 5).

The APG-66 radar incorporates a number of air-to-air and air-to-

surface modes as shown in figure 4. The key air-to-air features are
the ability to detect and accurately track low flying targets in rain
and high clutter environments and to rapidly acquire and track
high-speed, highly maneuvering targets in close-in dogfight engage-
ments. The high peak power, medium PRF waveform permits
highly accurate range, angle and doppler tracking at all target
asDects.

Range, Angle and

Velocity Track Figure 5. The DIVAD Radar

&to-Surface Worldwide, our armored and infantry units are increasingly threat-
Real Beam Ground Map ened by enemy ground attack A/C and missiles. Of particular
Expanded Map concern is the attack helicopter which can approach from any
Doppler Beam direction, popup from clutter, acquire a target and launch its air-
Sharpened Map to-ground missiles in seconds.
Air-to-Ground Ranging
Sea Target Detection The SCT York Air Defense Radar, a direct outgrowth of the
~eacon -
APG-66 radar, is a fully coherent, pulse doppler radar that can
simultaneously detect and track armed pop-up or hovering heli-
Freeze copters and fixed wing aircraft at all aspects and altitudes. Operat-
Figure 4. APG-66 Radar Modes ing at X-band this radar provides the SGT York DIVAD gun with
a fully automatic, fast reaction capability in all weather, clutter,
The APG-66 radar also incorporates a wide variety of air-to- battlefield smoke and dust and ECM environments. Advanced
surface mapping and tracking modes. The noncoherent real-beam digital technology and software provide a significant reduction in
map, beacon and sea target detection modes provide the ability to radar costs with ensuring high reliability. The radar has been ex-
acquire ground targets and perform all weather weapon delivery; tensively tested by the Army and is currently in production.
the air-to-ground ranging mode, in combination with an optical
sight, allows precise delivery of air-to-ground ordnance. The The DIVAD radar consists of six LRU's. A block diagram of' the
.
higher resolution doppler beam sharpened mode provides an 8:l radar is shown in figure 6. The transmitter is a ruggedized copy of
improvement in resolution. the APG-66 radar transmitter. The receiver/stalo, based on the
APG-66 design, has been completely repackaged to achieve a new
The physical and operating parameters of the APG-66 radar are level of modularity in packaging. With the exception of the stalo
summarized in table 1. The radar is an X-band, pulse doppler and the low-noise amplifier (LNA), the unit consists of plug-in
system. Its weight is just under 300 Ibs. Demonstrated reliabilities modules which allow easy access and removal. Improvements have
of 97 hrs have been achieved. The total parts count is just under been made to the stalo to achieve better stability and operation in
9500. The design allows easy access to all LRU's for flight-line the demanding battlefield environment. A second receiver channel
maintenance. was added to provide full monopulse tracking capability.
Downloaded by Freie Universitaet Berlin on January 16, 2017 | http://arc.aiaa.org | DOI: 10.2514/6.1984-2609

Figure 6. DIVAD Radar Simplified Block Diagram

The DSP and radar computer are housed in a single unit. The The antenna LRU's are unique to DIVAD. Separate stowable
DSP is very similar to that in the APG-66 radar; additional p ~ s t search and track antennas are provided. The- search antenna uses
processing capability provides an extra level of programmability three, end-fed, slotted, low sidelobe waveguide feeds for low, mid
and, hence, flexibility. The radar computer is a dual CPU unit and high beams, providing hemispherical coverage. The antenna
with 64K of EPROM and 26K of RAN memory. The processor structure is armored to protect it against shell fragments and small
uses standard integrated circuits mounted in dual in-line packages. arms fire. The radar uses a monopulse track antenna which is
The radar computer is programmed in higher order language time-shared with the search antenna, Special processing features
(JOVIAL J73-I) providing easier software maintenance. are incorporated to sense and compensate for multipath.

The fire control computer (FCC) is a self-contained, high-speed By using innovative time-sharing methods with two independently
computer built by Westinghouse and programmed by the SGT controlled antennas, simultaneous search-while-track capabjlity is
York prime contractor, Ford Aerospace. The FCC computes the achieved (see figure 7). Such simultaneous search-while-track
FCC solution, and controls the gun based on radar, laser, and operation is imperative to maintain quick reaction time and effec-
other sensor inputs. The unit is functionally identical to the radar tive battlefield management. While accurate track is maintained on
computer, the only difference being the packaging. one target, the radar search function continues to detect, clauify
and display other threats for immediate follow-on engagement.
AU communications within the radar are via a high-speed serial
mux bus with the exception of the high-speed parallel bus between Other features of the radar include detection and resolution of
the DSP and radar computer. Communications between the radar multipath effects, excellent clutter rejection capability, missile
computer and FCC are via a standard 1553 mux bus. detection, helicopter classification and track, and excellent ECCM
features.

Automatic
I
Search I
Track
LowlMid Beam Scan LowlHigh Beam Scan Simuftaneous Search-While-Track

Sector Search Multipath Resolution

Figure 7.DlVAD Radar Modes

 An example of a nonmilitary application of the APG-66 radar is Finally, the modular low PRF used in the DIVAD radar was
in its use for drug traffic monitoring for the U.S. Customs Serv- adapted to the F-16 to provide improved stability, ease of mainte-
ice. Housed in a Citation 11, high performance A/C (see figure 8) nance and improved ECCM features.
and integrated with other sensors and displays and controls, the
APG-66 radar provides a highly effective tool for detecting low Production deliveries of this improved APG-66 radar, now desig-
flying A/C in all weather and clutter environments. The initial nated as the APG-68 began in early 1984. Since the new radar is
radar achieved a total of > 300 operational hrs without a single designed to occupy the same space as the existing APG-66 radar,
radar failure. retrofit is easily achievable.

A significant step in the evolution of the APG-66 radar occurred The APG-68 is functionally configured like the APG-66 radar.
with the recognition by the Air Force that the F-16 C/D aircraft The major change is the incorporation into one box of all digital
required a radar with increased performance and flexibility to deal processing. The key to the flexibility and increased performance of
with the increasing sophistication and numbers of the enemy this new radar is the PSP shown in figure 10. The processing
threat. With the advent of the newer and more advanced air-to-air capabilities reside in 31 board pairs (modules) of flatpack con-
missiles, the need for a longer range radar with multitarget track- struction. Tkenty-one of these modules are dedicated to array
ing capabilities was recognized. This resulted in an improved radar (signal) processing while the remaining 10 are dedicated to the
with three major changes (see figure 9). radar computer. 384K of nonvolatile block-oriented random access
memory provides bulk storage for the program instructions.
First and foremost was the substitution of a single, highly pro-
grammable signal processor for the current, separate fixed-pro- The unit weighs = 100 Ibs, occupies = 1.0 cu. ft. and dissipates
gram DSP and radar computer. close to 3000 watts. Eight spare slots are available for future proc-

Westinghouse is the Sensor Subsystem

Downloaded by Freie Universitaet Berlin on January 16, 2017 | http://arc.aiaa.org | DOI: 10.2514/6.1984-2609

tntegrator for the US Customs Service

Citation II, High Performance Aircraft

Avioni

Infrared Sensor
'
Figure 8. P16 Radar for U.S. Customs

Programmable Modular Dual Mode

Signal Processor LPRF Transmitter (DMT)
(PSP)

Figure 9. APG-68 Radar

Less apparent, but equally important was the introduction of a essing growth. A combination of MSI and LSI technology are
new dual-mode transmitter that could operate efficiently with a incorporated in this unit. This LRU is divided into three function-
low duty cycle, high peak power waveform or a high duty cycle, ally distinct subunits: an array P~ocessor,a radar computer and
low peak power waveform, the choice being tailored to the radar's Powm supply.
operating mode at that moment. This combination of low, me-
dium and high PRF operation is achievable without resorting to The array Processor (shown in figure 11) provides the high-speed,
pulse compressed waveforms. digital processing necessary to perform clutter cancellation, digital
 filtering, detection processing and post detection processing such
as range and doppler correlation. The array processor (AP) can
perform 192 million operations per second. The AP consists of
eight identical signal processing modules which act on incoming
data in parallel. The incoming data is stored in a 128K program
bulk memory. All operations are under the control of a dual-CPU
array controller with 16K of RAM memory. Processed data is
stored in the output buffer for access by the radar computer or
other AP subunits.

Aircraft
interface 4 I"P'"""P"~
Processor
Muxbus
Digibus
Bus
I PSP Bus
' (To Array
.
...
...
...
...
...
Processor)
7-
1
i Nonvolatile
Program Memory
Downloaded by Freie Universitaet Berlin on January 16, 2017 | http://arc.aiaa.org | DOI: 10.2514/6.1984-2609

Figure 12. Radar Computer Elements

The APG-68 radar has over twenty-two A/A and A/G modes
with the capability to accommodate future tactical fighter needs.
Figure 13 depicts the additional air-to-air features incorporated in
the APG-68. The most significant capability added is a track-
while-scan mode which provides the multiple target tracking and
situation awareness capability required to handle the growing and
more sophisticated enemy threat. To complement this mode, long-
Figure 10. Programmable Signal Processor
range identification and raid cluster resolution cauabilities have
also-been added. Finally the new dual mode transmitter allows
........ incorporation of a long-range velocity search mode to detect in-
Memory
coming targets.
Fromnn
Radar Similarly the APG-68 provides a number of new air-to-ground
Comptrlsr modes as shown in figure 14. This includes ground moving target
identification and track modes, a fixed target tracking mode and
an improved doppler beam sharpening mode providing a 64: 1
and MLPRF ...... improvement in resolution. In addition improvements have been
output made to the air-to-ground ranging mode thus providing even better
Butler
air-to-ground weapon delivery accuracies. The hardware is de-
....... .- signed such that automative terrain follow/terrain avoidance (TF/
.......... TA) and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) modes can be easily added
in the future.

Just as the APG-66 radar found additional applications, so too

has its successor, the APG-68 radar. A prime example of this was
Figure 11. Array Processor Architecture its serving as the foundation for the multimode radar on the B-1B
airplane. Under full-scale development for the past 2-1/2 yrs, the
The radar computer (shown in figure 12) is a dual-CPU, 1750A first radars designated as the APG-l&I were delivered early this
computer with 48K of high-speed memory allocated to each CPU. year.
Memory can be shared by each CPU under the control of a sepa-
rate direct memory access controller. AU program instructions are The APQ-164 (shown in figure 15) was built upon the foundation
stored in a 384K word, nonvolatile, block-oriented random access of existing hardware. The APG-68 provided the transmitter, LPRF,
memory (BORAM). Each CPU provides an effective instruction and PSP designs while the two-axis electronically scanned antenna
rate in excess of 1 Megops. The radar computer, as well as the AP, was a direct result of the Electronically Agile Radar (EAR) radar
are programmed in higher order language (JOVIAL-J73), provid- developed and flight tested by Westinghouse for the Air Force
ing the ease of software maintenance that comes with higher order Avionics Lab. The two principal modes, TF/TA and SAR, were
language programming. demonstrated as part of the EAR flight test on the B-52 A/C.
Downloaded by Freie Universitaet Berlin on January 16, 2017 | http://arc.aiaa.org | DOI: 10.2514/6.1984-2609

Figure 14. AN/APG611 Air-to-Surface Capabilities

Electmnically Agile Radar Improved APG.66

Provides Provides
- New Mode Technology - New Hardware
Terrain Following Programmable Processor
Real Time SAR - Outgrowth of EAR
- Demonstrated Performance - High Speed
Accurate Navigation
Low Altitude Flight -Modularity
Can Add and Delete Functions
Tested on 8-52 1979

Figure 15. APQ-164 Radar

 The modes of operation for the APQ-164 are shown in figure 16. What will the future evolution of the APG-66/APG-68 radars be?
The two principal modes of operation are TF/TA and SAR. In I foresee two major developments. The first is the widespread
addition the APQ-164 radar provides noncoherent mapping insertion of VHSlC technology into the processing elements of the
modes, ground moving target indication and ground moving target radar. The second is the probable introduction of beam agility into
track, precision position update, precision velocity update, and fighter A/C. In the near term this will take the form of passive
beacon weather modes. arrays similar to the antenna on the APQ-164; in the 1990's we
will see the widespread use of active aperture radars such as the
The key feature of the APQ-164 radar is its use of a two-axis Ultra Reliable Radar (URR); Ultimately we should see the use of
electronically phased array antenna. The chief benefits are shown broad band active arrays radarr integrated with the ECM and
in figure 17. Better performance arises because of the rapid beam ESM systems to make a formulable fighting machine.
switching times permitting interleaving of the various air-to-ground
modes with TF/TA. The MTBF of the antenna is estimated to be The benefits of VHSIC technology are not difficult to foresee:
in excess of 10,000 hrs, a number demonstrated on the EAR and reduced acquisition and support costs, higher reliability, better
High Energy Laser Radar Acquisition and Tracking (HELRATS) supportability in the field, and improved performance. Figure 19
programs. More importantly the design permits graceful degrada- shows the improvements that could be reali~edby replacing the
tion in performance in the event of an antenna module failure. PSP currently in the APG-68 with a PSP using a combination of
high density configurable gated arrays and memories available
now from the VHSIC program. The results are quite dramatic:
four-fold increase in reliability; a factor of seven reduction in
power dissipation; a greater than 2:l reduction in size and weight;
and a better than 2:1 increase in speed. With the advent of the full
VHSlC technology including the introduction of Ada the results
should be even more dramatic.
Downloaded by Freie Universitaet Berlin on January 16, 2017 | http://arc.aiaa.org | DOI: 10.2514/6.1984-2609

Current VHSlC
PSP PSP
Board Assemblies 31 13
Weight (lb) 98 40
Volume (It3) 1.45 0.7
Prime Power (W) 2948 400
MTBF (Hr) 280 1200
AP Mcops 16 40
RC Mips 3.2 6.8
Figure 16. APG-64 Modes of Operation Maintenance Plan &Level 2.Level or
3.Level
Figure 19. PSP Statistics Compsrison
The benefits afforded by beam agility are not quite as evident.
Although costs for the passive agile radar are reasonable, the cost
of active aperture arrays is still high. But the future portends
lower costs, greatly improved reliability and much improved per-
formance.

Figure 20 summarizes the benefits of beam agility as afforded by a

passive agile array sized for a fighter application. Improved relia-
bility and ease of maintenance have already been demonstrated.
Less evident is the dramatic improvement in multitarget tracking
capability afforded by beam agility through the decoupling of the
Figure 17. Benefits of phased Array search and track functions. Further, true interleaved radar opera-
tion is only possible with beam agility.
The heart of the electronically scanned array are the phase control Air-to-air
modules shown in figure 18. The phase control module consists of - lncreased Tracking Accuracy on Multiple Targets Due to
a ferrite phase shifter and driver; phase shift commands are stored I High Update Rates
in the integral driver chip. The individual phase control modules
plug directly into the array. Beam steering commands are provided
- Independent Search and Track Coverage of Target
- lncreased Situation Awareness and Prioritization
by a separate beam steering controller housed on the back of the
antenna.
- lncreased Tracking Range
Air-to-Ground
Basic Features of Phased Array - Instantaneous Mode Interleaving for High-speed, Including
.-60° Scanning Terrain Clearance and Associated Weapons Delivery
Beam Switching in 200 ps Modes
Variable Beam Shapes
- C S C ~Fan
, Beam, Up to
- Electronic RoH Stabilization
Overall
5 x Beam Width
Polarization Diversit - lndependent Positioning for Ail Modes
.Linear and Circu - Improved Reliability Through Graceful Degradation
Wide Bandwidth
Figure 20. Benefits of Beam Agiiity

The APG-66 radar furnishes an excellent example of how a radar

can grow and evolve to not only expand its capabilities but also
take on new and diverse applications. The key to this flexibility
lies in the efficient and widespread usage of digital technology and
processing and the modular design of the hardware. This concept
has been evident in the design of the APG-66 radar from the start;
- the primary payoff is reduced cost to the military and civilian
Figure 18. Electronically Agile Antenna users without sacrifice in performance.