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Russia is working on developing a new bread of radar that if successfully produced will
be a game changer.
The radar in the spotlight is the Radio-photonic radar.
As per the report, such radars will have a significantly more range than any current
radar and will be capable of constructing a photographic image of the target in realtime
that will be identified automatically.
In this video, Defense Updates analyzes why Russia’s radio-photonic may make 5th as
well as 6th generation fighters obsolete?
Let's get into the details.
A stealthy fifth-generation fighter program is technologically very complex and has a
huge cost associated with it.
For a long time, American F 22 Raptor was the only operational fighter in the world.
But things have been changing in the last few years.
With F 35 Lightning II being exported to many countries from America, a lot of Russian rivals
will have a 5th generation fighter in their air force in coming days.
Chengdu J-20 is also now operationally deployed with Chinese Airforce.
There is also a consensus between France & Germany for developing a 6th generation fighter
Keeping all this in view, Russia needs technology to counter increasing number of 5th & 6th
generation fighters which will be coming to fore in future.
Photonic radar uses laser pulses for detection instead of conventional EM waves.
This will enable better tracking of objects especially in calculating speed calculation
of moving targets.
Photonic radar is nascent and in very early stages of development.
Currently, there are many challenges in developing this kind of radar.
If the Russians scientists succeed in developing this radar, Russia would possess a sensor
which will be far more capable than anything currently in operation around the world.
The range of this radar would be many times more than conventional EM wave radars and
the resolution of the images on the radar screen will be much higher.
Photonic radar has the potential to develop a weapons quality track even on a stealth
aircraft like F 22 Raptor or F 35 Lightning II and that too from long range.
Russia’s future 6th generation fighter well as its next-generation unmanned aircraft may
deploy this radar.
The press office of RTI Group was quoted as saying,
"RTI Group is launching the first technological line in Russia for the production of lasers
for making promising radio-photonic radars,"
It reveled that the developer RTI Group, is currently completing R&D work on creating
a mockup of the X-band radio-photonic radar.
It said, following its results, specialists “will determine a principal scheme of building
the radio-photonic locator,” which will make it possible “in several years to build
prototypes of super-light and small-size radars for unmanned aerial vehicles".
The RTI Group press office added, “Such radars will be able to provide radio
wave imaging when an image has greater details with the possibility to identify the target
type”.
As per press the office, it will have a considerably smaller weight and size and consume less power
both on drones and aircraft.
The new radar station will generate a radar signal by converting photonic crystal laser
energy.
The production of such lasers is already beginning in Russia.
RTI Group CEO Maxim Kuzyuk was quoted by the press office as saying that, “we in RTI
are seeking to make the production cycle of integral radio-photonic circuits for radars
fully local to participate effectively in the rapidly developing area, which can become
a guarantor of the country’s security”.