J-20 designers plan to put radar into aircraft wing; strategy to expand coverage during air combat

And Chinese military aircraft designers have proposed a new way to expand airborne radar coverage by integrating large antenna arrays into aircraft wings. And the concept has been outlined in a study published online on October 10th in the journal Measurement and Control Technology. The research team is affiliated with the AVIC, Chengdu Aircraft Design and Research Institute, which developed China's J-20 stealth fighter. And unlike conventional fighter jets that house radars in their noses, The proposed design would place radar arrays inside the wings, without requiring a large external radar dome. The researchers also propose using unmanned aircraft working together to provide wider surveillance coverage. By rolling an aircraft at an angle of more than 45 degrees, the wing-mounted radar could be tilted towards different sectors, expanding the area that it can monitor. And the study outlines four operating modes, including all-direction detection, multi-direction surveillance, coordinated target tracking and operations designed to counter electronic interference. The researchers say the approach could offer early warning capabilities comparable to or better than those of conventional early warning aircraft using smaller platforms and the concept could be considered for future Chinese combat aircraft including the J-20 and next generation designs such as the J-26 or J-50.