APG-66 Declassified

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Tam

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Get your sweet knowhow here.

http://www.forecastinternational.com/archive/ab/ba0245.htm
 
Great detail on a classic radar and fascinating to see how many different aircraft mounted it. But the users info is a little dated:-

"New Zealand. 20 A-4 Skyhawks. Will lease 28 F-16A/B Block 15 aircraft to replace selected A-4s"

The F-16A/B deal was cancelled two governments ago. One of the main reasons my magazine (employer) opposed the buy was because the F-16s would only have the same radar and weapons as the Scooter they were replacing. The new government agreed but then went and retired the Scooters as well - Doh!

Cheers, Woody
 
Interesting that even the early ones could fire six AIM-120s at six different targets.
 
Tam said:
Get your sweet knowhow here.

http://www.forecastinternational.com/archive/ab/ba0245.htm
Click to expand...
At least they could give the radar range for what RCS, or is this information not even provided in manuals? :eek:
 
Nothing there merits the subject. This is all publicly available information for years, simply collated together, no declassification.
 
Regarding APG-66 detection ranges, this was given a long time ago in a General Dynamics report (drawing reproduced in F-16 Aerofax)

Measured ranges

Lookup:
T-38: 27nm
F-4 40nm

Lookdown:
T-38: 19nm
F-16: 24nm
F-4: 29nm
F-111: 40nm

Predicted ranges

Lookup:
MiG-23: 40nm
MiG-25: 49nm
Tu-95: 75nm

Lookdown:
MiG-23: 29nm
MiG-25: 35nm
Tu-95: 56nm

These figures are approximate as they are read off a diagram, not given as numbers.

Spec is given as 85% cumulative probability of detection, 2000 feet/second closing.
 
T-38? I didn't know it had more than a weather radar, especially since the front cockpit there wipes out the bay where the boxes for the radar are on the original F-5A.
 
Okay, my error and that range is quite believeable given the T-38's small size.
 
overscan said:
Regarding APG-66 detection ranges, this was given a long time ago in a General Dynamics report (drawing reproduced in F-16 Aerofax)

Measured ranges

Lookup:
T-38: 27nm
F-4 40nm

Lookdown:
T-38: 19nm
F-16: 24nm
F-4: 29nm
F-111: 40nm

Predicted ranges

Lookup:
MiG-23: 40nm
MiG-25: 49nm
Tu-95: 75nm

Lookdown:
MiG-23: 29nm
MiG-25: 35nm
Tu-95: 56nm

These figures are approximate as they are read off a diagram, not given as numbers.

Spec is given as 85% cumulative probability of detection, 2000 feet/second closing.
Click to expand...
Thanks Overscan, regarding those above mentioned APG-66 detection ranges have you verified them with the real radar operating manual? Does the target aspect have any influence on the APG-66 range?
As you probably know me by now, I hardly will be satisfied with some GD radar report. :D

Btw. where to get the F-16 Aerofax, I mean the fastest way... ;)
 
I haven't verified them myself with an APG-66 manual, not having access to one, but I am led to believe they are broadly accurate. They are valid for CLOSING targets only. However, as it uses medium PRFs exclusively, I don't think range varies as much with aspect as modes using high PRFs.
 
sferrin said:
Interesting that even the early ones could fire six AIM-120s at six different targets.
Click to expand...

That's not the original APG-66 but the V2 version, which can be regarded as early to mid nineties techology, which is about as good as mid vintage APG-68s.

A little surprise is that the Taiwan version is actually called V3 not V2, and implies that in addition to be able to use AMRAAM, as added in V2, the V3 version adds CWI to support AIM-7 use.

There appears to be reports in the website for many platforms and radar systems like all the other APGs, but I'm not willing to spend something like $125 bucks for each PDF.
 
Launching multiple AMRAAMs at different targets doesn't mean to support them as well.
 

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