A U-2 Dragon Lady assigned to the 99th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron prepares for a mission in support of Operation Inherent Resolve from Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates. Senior Airman Gracie Lee / US Air Force.
ASARS-2A provides the U-2 aircraft with long-range, high-resolution intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities over large areas, from as high as 70,000 feet above Earth.
“With ASARS-2A, the Air Force can detect ground targets day or night, no matter the weather condition,” said Chad Pillsbury, director at Raytheon Secure Sensor Solutions. “And, it’s reliable. The Air Force just completed ASARS-2A’s 9,000th tactical mission in Korea this year.”
The ASARS-2A sensor locates moving and stationary targets using its ground moving-target indicator and search and spot modes. Its on-board processing system delivers near-real time, precise target location data. This allows decision makers to respond quickly, rather than relying on ground stations to process the targeting data.
Raytheon has announced it is developing a new version of the Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar (ASAR-2) currently utilised on the US Air Force’s Lockheed Martin U-2S Dragon Lady high-altitude intelligence surveillance reconnaissance aircraft: a programme that was started in 2015.
According to Raytheon’s announcement on March 25, 2019 the new ARSARS-2B radar will double the surveillance range of the current unit, while maintaining the same mapping and imagery resolution capabilities.
The ASARS-2B is a (classified long-range, high-resolution, near real-time, multimode, high – resolution radar system designed to capture ground maps in all-weather conditions, day and night
The current ASARS-2A system has eight operating modes: three search and five spot including moving-target search, moving target spot, stationary-target search and stationary-target spot, and several classified search modes. The ASARS-2B system has new maritime modes and the ability to simultaneously interleave modes
This synthetic aperture radar has a dual planar array antenna oriented perpendicular to the U-2s centreline for detection and location of stationary or moving targets on either side of the aircraft Detailed information can be captured from selected portions of the radar’s coverage area. Mapping can be captured on either side of the aircraft without need to change antenna orientation.
Operating from long standoff ranges, the ASARS-2 imagery and radar ground maps are of the highest resolution available to the US Department of Defense: ASARS 2A captures imagery and mapping with resolutions between 3 metres and 1 metre in its search modes, and between 0.9 to 0.3 metres in its spot modes. All data is formatted and transmitted via wideband data link.
ASARS-2 is a modular package installed within a Q-bay in the aircrafts’ radome characterised by a cooling intake on top of the nose.
The work is being carried out under a $ 320 million undefined contract signed with the US Air Force.
Raytheon said the ASARS 2B completed flight testing at Palmdale, California in early 2019 Raytheon’s Vice-President of Secure Sensor Solutions, Eric Ditmars said: ASARS-2B allows the Dragon Lady to see further than ever before. That kind of range is crucial for commanders to achieve decision superiority and it ensures that the U-2 remains a preferred option for manned airborne surveillance operations All US Air Force U-2 Dragon Lady aircraft are assigned to Air Combat Command’s 9th Reconnaissance Wing based at Beale Air Force Base . California operated by the 1st and 99th Reconnaissance Squadrons
