KLJ-7 Radar
Encyclopedia
The KLJ-7, also referred to as the Type 1478, is an X-band airborne fire-control radar (FCR) developed by Nanjing Research Institute of Electronic Technology (NRIET), also known as the China Electronics Technology Company's (CETC's) No. 14 Research Institute. In December 2010, Pakistan Air Force
's Air Chief Marshal
Rao Qamar Suleman
announced that KLJ-7 radar will be built at Pakistan Aeronautical Complex
(PAC), in Kamra
, north of Islamabad
.
and NIIP had worked closely in the past with the Chinese radar design bureaus and provided technical assistance as well as operational models of Russian-made radar sets that were used as benchmarks in the process of these Chinese firms developing their own design. Up to 20 units of the Phazotron Zhemchoug ('Pearl) radar were imported in the mid-1990s for evaluation along with 2 units of Phazotron (NIIR)
RP-35, which is the upgraded version of the Zhemchoug.
The KLJ-7 has multiple modes, both beyond-visual-range (BVR) and close-in air-to-air modes, ground surveillance modes and a robust anti-jamming capability. The radar can reportedly manage up to 40 targets, monitor up to 10 of them in track-while-scan (TWS) mode and simultaneously fire on two BVR targets. The detection range for targets with a radar cross-section of 3 square meters is stated to be ≥75 km (≥35 km in look-down mode). Surface sea targets can be detected at up to 135 km. Most modern Chinese air-launched weapons, such as the short-range PL-9C and the beyond-visual-range PL-12 (SD-10) air-to-air missiles are supported by the KLJ-7. It has been reported that KLJ-7 also has modes to support a range of NATO weaponry.
According to a Pakistan Aeronautical Complex
programme officer, after having "flown with this radar" as well as "other models... such as the Thales RC400" and evaluating them for the JF-17 lightweight fighter, it was found that "the Chinese radar is every bit as capable as its contemporary analogues."
Pakistan Air Force
The Pakistan Air Force is the leading air arm of the Pakistan Armed Forces and is primarily tasked with the aerial defence of Pakistan with a secondary role of providing air support to the Pakistan Army and the Pakistan Navy. The PAF also has a tertiary role of providing strategic air transport...
's Air Chief Marshal
Air Chief Marshal
Air chief marshal is a senior 4-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
Rao Qamar Suleman
Rao Qamar Suleman
Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman, NI, SBt is the current Pakistan Air Force Chief of Air Staff who replaced Tanvir Mahmood Ahmed on 18 March 2009....
announced that KLJ-7 radar will be built at Pakistan Aeronautical Complex
Pakistan Aeronautical Complex
The Pakistan Aeronautical Complex is a facility used to service, assemble and manufacture aircraft for the Pakistani Armed Forces...
(PAC), in Kamra
Kamra
Kamra is located in Attock District in the mountainous north of the Punjab, Pakistan. The Pakistan Aeronautical Complex and PAF's Minhas Airbase are located in Kamra. It is the biggest air force base in whole of Pakistan...
, north of Islamabad
Islamabad
Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan and the tenth largest city in the country. Located within the Islamabad Capital Territory , the population of the city has grown from 100,000 in 1951 to 1.7 million in 2011...
.
Development and design
The KLJ-7 uses a mechanically-steered slotted array antenna and bears similarities with the various Russian radars imported in the 1990s. Russian radar design houses PhazotronPhazotron
JSC Phazotron , is Russia's largest developer of military radars and avionics. Named after one of the major projects and the most important one it was involved in, the first cosmotron in the former-USSR, it was first formed in 1917 to produce aviation instruments...
and NIIP had worked closely in the past with the Chinese radar design bureaus and provided technical assistance as well as operational models of Russian-made radar sets that were used as benchmarks in the process of these Chinese firms developing their own design. Up to 20 units of the Phazotron Zhemchoug ('Pearl) radar were imported in the mid-1990s for evaluation along with 2 units of Phazotron (NIIR)
Phazotron
JSC Phazotron , is Russia's largest developer of military radars and avionics. Named after one of the major projects and the most important one it was involved in, the first cosmotron in the former-USSR, it was first formed in 1917 to produce aviation instruments...
RP-35, which is the upgraded version of the Zhemchoug.
The KLJ-7 has multiple modes, both beyond-visual-range (BVR) and close-in air-to-air modes, ground surveillance modes and a robust anti-jamming capability. The radar can reportedly manage up to 40 targets, monitor up to 10 of them in track-while-scan (TWS) mode and simultaneously fire on two BVR targets. The detection range for targets with a radar cross-section of 3 square meters is stated to be ≥75 km (≥35 km in look-down mode). Surface sea targets can be detected at up to 135 km. Most modern Chinese air-launched weapons, such as the short-range PL-9C and the beyond-visual-range PL-12 (SD-10) air-to-air missiles are supported by the KLJ-7. It has been reported that KLJ-7 also has modes to support a range of NATO weaponry.
According to a Pakistan Aeronautical Complex
Pakistan Aeronautical Complex
The Pakistan Aeronautical Complex is a facility used to service, assemble and manufacture aircraft for the Pakistani Armed Forces...
programme officer, after having "flown with this radar" as well as "other models... such as the Thales RC400" and evaluating them for the JF-17 lightweight fighter, it was found that "the Chinese radar is every bit as capable as its contemporary analogues."
Radar modes
Data from: CETC International- Range While Search (RWS)
- Velocity Search (VS)
- Single Target Track (STT)
- Track While Scan (TWS)
- Dual Target Track (DTT)
- Situational Awareness Mode (SAM)
- Air Combat Mode (ACM)(with five sub-modes)
- Real Beam Map (RBM)
- Doppler Beam Sharpening (DBS)
- Ground Moving Target Indication/Ground Moving Target Track (GMTI/GMTT)
- Air to Ground Ranging (AGR)
- Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)
- Sea Single Target Track (SSTT)
- Beacon (BCN)
Specifications
Data from: http://i30.tinypic.com/2r70vgw.jpg
- Frequency: X-band
- Range:
- Look-up: >75 km (for RCS of 3 m2)
- Look-down: >35 km (for RCS of 3 m2)
- Total targets tracked: 10 in TWS (Track-While-Scan) mode
- Reliability:
- MTBF (Mean Time Between Failure): 220 hours
- MTTR (Mean Time To Recovery): 0.5 hours
- Weight: ≤120 kg
- Volume: 0.065 m3