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AN/ALQ-153 is an airbornerange gatepulse-Dopplertail warning radar for detectinganti-aircraft missiles, protectingB-1B Lancer andB-52G/H Stratofortress aircraft.[1][2][3] It replaced theRCAAN/ALQ-127, introducing asolid-statetransmitter,frequency-agile waveform and digital processor using non-scanning antennas that have lowbacklobes.[1] The ALQ-153 was originally manufactured byWestinghouse Electric Corp, now supported byNorthrop Grumman.[4]
Competitive evaluation of the Westinghouse ALQ-153 against theAN/ALQ-154 manufactured by AIL began in 1975. At that time, both manufacturers received initial development contracts ofUS$2,000,000 (equivalent to about $11,687,075 in 2024) each. By December 1975, Westinghouse was awarded a contract for more than 300 systems over the next five years, and in 1978, they were selected as prime contractor. In 1980, the first operational units were delivered.[5]
Installed on B-52 aircraft atBarksdale Air Force Base, tenflight tests were conducted in May and June 1981. During these tests, totaling 39 hours, there were four failures with amean time between failure (MTBF) rate of 9.75 hours.[3] By 1986, Westinghouse was awarded an additionalUS$102,727,898 (equivalent to about $294,679,996 in 2024) to supply spares and war reserve stocks including 192Radarreceiver/transmitters, 159Analog Data Signal Processors and 197Digital Data Signal Processors. Deliveries were complete by February 1991.[5]
TheUS Air Force is the only operator of the AN/ALQ-153. It was never approved for foreign military sales.[5]
In accordance with theJoint Electronics Type Designation System (JETDS), the "AN/ALQ-153" designation represents the 153rd design of anArmy-Navyelectronic device for specialcountermeasures system. The JETDS system is also now used to nameUS Air Force systems.
Although primarily used formissile defense, the ALQ-153 could accurately warn of aircraft threats as well providing continuousrange and time-to-intercept indications on the control indicator.[3][6] When an approaching missile is detected, an audible tone is transmitted to theelectronic warfare officer (EWO) allowing them to respond with the proper countermeasures.[3] The radar also provides automated management of expendableflare andchaff countermeasures used to decoy approaching missiles.[5]
The ALQ-153 consists of sixline replaceable units (LRUs), with a total size of 2.82 cubic feet (0.080 m3) weighing 180 pounds (82 kg). The LRUs include:[5]
| LRU | Weight | Volume |
|---|---|---|
| Radarreceiver/transmitter (RRT) | 22.8 lb (10.3 kg) | 0.8 cu ft (0.023 m3) |
| Analog Data Signal Processor (ADSP) | 47.5 lb (21.5 kg) | 0.65 cu ft (0.018 m3) |
| Digital Data Signal Processor (DDSP) | 37.0 lb (16.8 kg) | 0.55 cu ft (0.016 m3) |
| RF Processor (RFP) | 70.0 lb (31.8 kg) | 0.72 cu ft (0.020 m3) |
| Antennas (x2) | 3.5 lb (1.6 kg) | 0.1 cu ft (0.0028 m3) |
