Mark 92 Guided Missile FCS & RIM-162 ESSM?

[Pioneer]

G'day all

Please excuse my ignorance, but I looking for some clarification which I'm sure the knowledge base of this forums members can assist me in.

I'm trying to assertain the bare-bones minimum radar/fire-control system needed to support the effective operations of the RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM) in a purely defensive manner.
I've been reading about the Mark 92 Guided Missile Fire Control System and am struggling to interpret the following:
“The Mark 92 system assigns targets via the ship's air search radar, and surface search radar or from the Mark 92's own search radar capabilities.[1] The system has two or three radar sub-systems depending on the model. The first two are combined into a single system called the Combined Antenna System or CAS is used in all models. The CAS has a track while scan radar (Search) and a tracking radar both housed in an egg shaped radome. The radars can search for, track, and illuminate targets. There is also a third radar for target illumination referred to as the Separate Target Illumination Radar or STIR. The STIR is a radar developed from the AN/SPG-60 radar that is part of the Mark 86 gun fire control system.”

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_92_Guided_Missile_Fire_Control_System

So does the above mean that the Mark 92 system has its own incorporated air-search radar capability - alas not as powerful or ranging as a dedicated stand-alone air-search radar?
Does this mean technically one could negate a large, heavy and expensive dedicated air-search radar system to support ESSM operations with the Mark 92 system?

Thanks for your time and consideration

Regards
Pioneer

 

[TomS]

Yes, the CAS ball contains two separate antennas, a search set in the lower half and the tracking/fire control dish in the upper half. They're sort of conjoined, sharing a common transmitter.

The Mark 92's search radar isn't really enough for a full combat system, even just for ESSM. It's basically a very fast-spinning search set for picking up sea skimmers as they pop over the horizon. It has fairly limited range, not enough to really exploit the performance of ESSM (especially because the search range drops when the tracking radar is active, since they have to split the transmitter power).

 

[Dilandu]

So does the above mean that the Mark 92 system has its own incorporated air-search radar capability - alas not as powerful or ranging as a dedicated stand-alone air-search radar?

Yes, it could search for aerial targets, but as it was mentioned above -

The Mark 92's search radar isn't really enough for a full combat system, even just for ESSM. It's basically a very fast-spinning search set for picking up sea skimmers as they pop over the horizon. It has fairly limited range, not enough to really exploit the performance of ESSM (especially because the search range drops when the tracking radar is active, since they have to split the transmitter power).

- not very good. It's not so much of "search", as "acquisition" radar, which scanned for specific targets to lock the beam on them.

Does this mean technically one could negate a large, heavy and expensive dedicated air-search radar system to support ESSM operations with the Mark 92 system?

No. The Mark 92 radar is very short-range, and not exactly good against high-flying targets (so for example if a X-22 coming on you on Mach 3 & 10 km altitude, it would not get it before its far too late to engage).

 

[Pioneer]

Thank you for the clarification TomS & Dilandu
So one would still technically need a dedicated air-search radar.
Could I ask you what an appropriate, size, weight and cost effective air-search radar that would suit effective ESSM ops aboard an auxiliary ship like Fleet Replenishment ships in a self-defence manner?


Regards
Pioneer

 

[Pioneer]

What about something like the Saab' Sea Giraffe AMB air search radar system, would this be sufficient to support RIM-162 ESSM operations?
Does anyone know when the

Sea Giraffe AMB came on the market?

Regards
Pioneer​

 

[TomS]

Thank you for the clarification TomS & Dilandu
So one would still technically need a dedicated air-search radar.
Could I ask you what an appropriate, size, weight and cost effective air-search radar that would suit effective ESSM ops aboard an auxiliary ship like Fleet Replenishment ships in a self-defence manner?


Regards
Pioneer

Really depends on the timeframe.

In a contemporary ship, Sea Giraffe AMB certainly would work (the Canadians have it in their new supply ships). Or TRS-3D/16, found in LCS and a bunch of other small warships. Or any of several other radars in this class.

 

[Pioneer]

Thank you TomS

Regards
Pioneer