AN/ALR-46 is aradar warning receiver (RWR) that processes received signals from up to 16 hostileradar emitters in the 2–18 GHzfrequency range to determine threats to the aircraft.[1] Originally manufactured byLitton Industries and General Instruments, Dalmo-Victor division (nowNorthrop Grumman),[2][3] it has been used on severalU.S. Air Force aircraft including theA-7D Corsair,B-52 Stratofortress,C-130 Hercules,F-4 Phantom II,F-104 Starfighter,F-105 Thunderchief,F-111 Aardvark andRF-4 Phantom II and others.[3][4]
The first battlefield operational testing of the ALR-46 occurred in August 1972 when a team of Dalmo-Victor and Warner Robins engineers installed the system on F-104G aircraft dubbed "Wild Weasels".[5] Flight testing took place against threats in theSuez Canal area andEgypt. By January 1973, the system had proven reliable and accurate enough to be deployed to an F-105G inSoutheast Asia (SEA).[5]
In accordance with theJoint Electronics Type Designation System (JETDS), the "AN/ALR-46" designation represents the 46th design of an Army-Navy electronic device for passive countermeasures signal receiver. The JETDS system also now is used to name allDepartment of Defense electronic systems.
In 1999, the Situational Awareness Defensive Initiative (SADI) program was created to significantly upgrade the ALR-46. The program was valued at $48 million in 2000, and was expected to run through 2003.[6] Improving situational awareness was the "highest priority modification needed for the B-52".[6]
The ALR-46 receiver set allows aircrew to detect the presence of up to 16 threat radars and identify certain characteristics of those radars.[1][7]
| ActiveCountermeasures (Jamming) | |
|---|---|
| PassiveRadar Warning Receivers | |
| Missile Warning Systems | |
| Flare andChaff Systems | |
| Directional IRCM | |
| Dedicated ECM /ESM aircraft | |
