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The CYRANO family
The CYRANO "saga" began in 1958, after the choice of the MIRAGE III from Avions Marcel Dassault as the weapon aircraft of the French Air Force. These aircraft were to be equipped with a state-of-the-art forward radar and Marcel Dassault, whose electronics department under department under the direction of Bertrand Daugny had designed an airborne radar for light interceptors, the
Marcel Dassault, whose electronics department under the direction of Bertrand Daugny had designed an airborne radar for light interceptors, the "Super ALADIN", questioned CSF's ability to produce a radar of this type.
CSF decided to take up the challenge and promised a ground demonstration within six months of a monopulse radar model compatible with the MIRAGE IIIC. This was a world first, as the competing radars used much less efficient scanning tracking. [translator note: incorrect - Ferranti AI.23 was designed before this)
G. Le Parquier's mission was to convince a state commission of the interest of a monopulse antenna and a very original firing calculator... without giving too much information likely to benefit the competition!
But the CSF model was still not very advanced and, as no risk could be taken, it was the classic solution with a scanning antenna proposed by Dassault that was chosen at first.
Fortunately, for CSF, the events in Algeria in 1958 "froze" this first decision and, in mid-July, it was possible to present again its model, which surprised by its performance and called into question the initial choice.
This is how the following contracts were awarded successively in October 1958 and within a fortnight of each other. The conditions were draconian: the deadline was set for the development of the prototype, which was to be completed by the end of the year, and the contract was to be signed by the end of the year. The conditions were draconian: one year for the prototype, two years for the pre-series and 27 months for the 3 of the first production run, with a ramp-up to one radar every two working days. Penalties were doubled for delays.
Three CYRANO I prototypes were built to evaluate the weapon system, subsequently 8 pre-production CYRANO I bis radars were added to ensure this evaluation. Then the production was started first with the CYRANO I bis for MIRAGE III C and soon after with the CYRANO II for MIRAGE III E.
Cyrano 1 bis radar for Mirage III C (1958) - Courtesy of THALES
Cyrano in Mirage IIIC (Aviation Week, July 23 1962)
The main characteristics of the CYRANO I bis, which was produced in 223 units from 1958 onwards, under the direction of 1958, under the direction of A. Perato, are the following:
Source: http://radars-darricau.fr/livre/2-PDF/histoire.pdf
The CYRANO "saga" began in 1958, after the choice of the MIRAGE III from Avions Marcel Dassault as the weapon aircraft of the French Air Force. These aircraft were to be equipped with a state-of-the-art forward radar and Marcel Dassault, whose electronics department under department under the direction of Bertrand Daugny had designed an airborne radar for light interceptors, the
Marcel Dassault, whose electronics department under the direction of Bertrand Daugny had designed an airborne radar for light interceptors, the "Super ALADIN", questioned CSF's ability to produce a radar of this type.
CSF decided to take up the challenge and promised a ground demonstration within six months of a monopulse radar model compatible with the MIRAGE IIIC. This was a world first, as the competing radars used much less efficient scanning tracking. [translator note: incorrect - Ferranti AI.23 was designed before this)
G. Le Parquier's mission was to convince a state commission of the interest of a monopulse antenna and a very original firing calculator... without giving too much information likely to benefit the competition!
But the CSF model was still not very advanced and, as no risk could be taken, it was the classic solution with a scanning antenna proposed by Dassault that was chosen at first.
Fortunately, for CSF, the events in Algeria in 1958 "froze" this first decision and, in mid-July, it was possible to present again its model, which surprised by its performance and called into question the initial choice.
This is how the following contracts were awarded successively in October 1958 and within a fortnight of each other. The conditions were draconian: the deadline was set for the development of the prototype, which was to be completed by the end of the year, and the contract was to be signed by the end of the year. The conditions were draconian: one year for the prototype, two years for the pre-series and 27 months for the 3 of the first production run, with a ramp-up to one radar every two working days. Penalties were doubled for delays.
Three CYRANO I prototypes were built to evaluate the weapon system, subsequently 8 pre-production CYRANO I bis radars were added to ensure this evaluation. Then the production was started first with the CYRANO I bis for MIRAGE III C and soon after with the CYRANO II for MIRAGE III E.
Cyrano 1 bis radar for Mirage III C (1958) - Courtesy of THALES
Cyrano in Mirage IIIC (Aviation Week, July 23 1962)
The main characteristics of the CYRANO I bis, which was produced in 223 units from 1958 onwards, under the direction of 1958, under the direction of A. Perato, are the following:
- Pressurised front end due to the high voltages (class 10kV) of the transmitter).
- Circuits cooled by water/glycol circulation (later FHS).
- Monopulse antenna of 36 cm diameter, orientable in the field with formation of channels by guides on the mobile part and the channel formation by guides on the mobile part and 3 rotating joints on the guide.
- 300 kW peak transmitter (4 J 50 magnetron) in "X" band (λ = 3cm).
- Receiver with a noise factor of 9 dB, with mixers and preamplifiers on the moving part and power supply by mobile "flexible" strand.
- Processing package including: 3-channel receiver, distance telemetry, deviation meters and servomechanisms.
- distance measurement and site-bearing servomechanisms, the navigation order calculator before and after firing, the missile firing range computer.
- The whole system is based on subminiature tubes (6111, 6112...) implanted on 30 "bands" of three types (9, 7, or 5 tubes).
Source: http://radars-darricau.fr/livre/2-PDF/histoire.pdf
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