Advertise with us
Where the defense community gets down to business.
Show Coverage
Looking for more? Check out this year's full list of upcoming show coverage.
Conferences
View exclusive coverage of the best minds in Defense - military, government and industry.
PARIS - British armed forces have successfully deployed their new Airborne Stand-off Radar (ASTOR) surveillance system in Afghanistan and are gearing up for another deployment later this year.
Briefing journalists during the Paris Air Show this week, the Royal Air Force commander in charge of the ASTOR operations, Group Capt. Harry Kemsley, said the Raytheon system had "clearly proven itself during operational trials."
Kemsley, commanding officer of the RAF's 5 (AC) Squadron, said that during a Nov. 15 to Dec 16 deployment, 18 missions were performed and the system collected 149 high-resolution synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images and captured some 107 hours of ground moving target indication (GMTI) data.
The system covered an area of more than 7,000 square kilometers, collecting "pattern of life" data that helped build up a picture of what was "normal" for the region so that intelligence experts would be able to spot occurrences that were "abnormal," Kemsley said. The system also provided near-real-time intel data on events such as convoys moving into the area, providing ground forces with a much enhanced situational awareness picture, he said.
"Our ability to see large amounts of terrain in real time at high resolution is the backbone of our capability," Kemsley said.
ASTOR comprises five Sentinel aircraft - each based on highly-modified Bombardier Global Express business jet airframes - six tactical ground stations and two operational-level ground units. Raytheon is prime contractor and integrator for the system.
ASTOR's dual-mode radar includes the SAR and the GMTI. Data from that radar system is downloaded via wide- and narrow-band data links, radio and satellite communications to the ground stations where they are processed and disseminated to the ground forces.
"The reason it's been successful is that we asked our customer - first the British Army and then the coalition forces - what it was they wanted to know and understand, so then we knew what we had to look for and disseminate," Hemsley said. "The ground stations then take that information and start to understand the patterns of life, answering questions that then also generate new questions."
A typical Afghanistan mission ran for more than nine hours, RAF crew said.
Squadron Leader Matt Cockram said that they deliberately made sure they built up the system's capabilities in Afghanistan at a controlled pace.
"This is a maturity phase - if you try to do everything too quickly, you won't have a stable footing. But the system has been performing very well," he said.
He added that the British were just now starting talks with the U.S. about potential collaborative work with the system.
The squadron is preparing for its next deployment later this year, when it will further explore and extend ASTOR's capabilities. Full operational capability of the system is expected in early 2011.
Help
