The UK Ministry of Defence has confirmed the awarding of a £453.5 million contract to supply 40 ECRS Mk2 lively electronically scanned array (AESA) radars, that are meant to modernise the Royal Air Pressure’s (RAF) Tranche 3 Eurofighter plane. The Eurofighter was one of many final two fighter sorts on the planet alongside the Swedish Gripen to be produced with a mechanically scanned array radar, which significantly restricted its fight efficiency with under common situational consciousness, an underwhelming digital warfare functionality, and excessive vulnerability to jamming. Though the ECRS Mk2 is much less refined than the brand new AN/APG-85 radar being built-in onto the F-35 fifth era fighters produced in the US, it nonetheless represents a technological leap of a number of a long time over the Eurofighter’s at present operational Captor radar.
The place mechanically scanned array radars just like the Captor depend on a single steady radio beam, electronically scanned array radars emit a number of beams from particular person electronically steered emitters, permitting for a close to instantaneous scan time and simultaneous monitoring, concentrating on, and scanning, together with towards very broadly dispersed targets. British defence officers conversant in the newest radar improve have described the combination of the ECRS Mk2 as introducing a step change in detection vary, digital assault functionality, and resilience in contested airspace.The Ministry of Defence has framed the procurement as a strategic response to quickly intensifying safety challenges throughout the Euro-Atlantic theatre, with Defence Secretary John Healey citing alleged Russian drone incursions and airspace violations alongside NATO’s japanese flank as a foundation to argue that the procurement was “important to making sure the RAF stays safe at dwelling and robust overseas for a few years to return.”
Elaborating on the brand new radar’s efficiency, Leonardo’s Senior Vice President for Radar and Superior Focusing on Mark Stead noticed: “ECRS Mk2 isn’t only a radar – it’s an digital warfare powerhouse that transforms the Hurricane into a much more deadly platform towards adversaries that rely closely on radar-guided programs.” Though the brand new radar will revolutionise the capabilities of the Eurofighter fleet, the plane’s attraction to overseas shoppers, and to the Royal Air Pressure itself, will stay restricted, with its capabilities being far outdated by each extra succesful ‘4+ era’ fighter sorts, and by the F-35A fifth era fighter. The Eurofighter has misplaced each tender wherein it has competed towards the F-35 and the F-15, from South Korea to Belgium, with out of date mechanically scanned array radar having been however one in every of a number of main contributors to its lack of attraction.
Though the governments of each Germany and the UK, this system’s major growth companions, have confronted appreciable strain from native trade to proceed putting orders and keep away from purchases of the F-35A, Germany in 2022 positioned its first order for the American stealth plane, adopted by the UK in 2025. Britain in 2025 completely shelved plans to buy additional Eurofighters, and is ready to proceed to withdraw them from service whereas ordering F-35A fighters. This deprioritisation of the Eurofighter program is mirrored within the very restricted variety of fighters which have been financed to combine fashionable radars.
European states have been compelled to steadiness between sustaining their industries to supply much less aggressive fighters and maximising their fight capabilities by procuring extra superior and value efficient American fighters. The place the UK has ceased Eurofighter procurements fully, Germany has hedged between this system and the F-35, whereas France has invested solely in its Rafale fighter and positioned no orders for the F-35. The Rafale notably built-in an electronically scanned array radar 25 years in the past because it entered service in 2001, and transitioned to a extra superior RBE2 AA AESA radar from 2013.
