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Leonardo UK and BAE Systems have completed ground testing of the European Common Radar System (ECRS) Mk2, and the active electronically-scanned array (AESA) radar is due to be flown for the first time from BAE’s Warton flight test site “in a couple of weeks,” according to Ben Geal, Leonardo’s Mk2 campaign manager. A number of the radar’s modules have recently undergone re-engineering into production form, but their functions have already been tested and cleared ahead of the flight trials.
Developed by Leonardo at its UK sites in Edinburgh and Luton, initially to meet UK-only requirements, the Mk2 represents a significant advance over the ECRS Mk0 AESA radar first fitted to export Typhoons for Kuwait and Qatar. It features an electronic attack capability that permits the equipment to actively counter hostile radars during defense suppression operations.
The Mk2 radar is one of several developments undertaken across the quadrinational Typhoon program to ensure that the aircraft remains relevant, especially as the Typhoon moves toward the Phase 4 enhancements (P4e) update, expected to become available in 2029.
