Marshall Aerospace unveiled ARC-Radar, a modular sensor suite that allows operators of tactical transport aircraft to rapidly and temporarily outfit their fleet for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions. ARC-Radar is the first of several products that will be rolled out within the Marshall Adaptable Role-fit Capability (ARC) family in the near future. Marshall ARC-Radar solves a key logistical problem facing fleet operators: since ISR tasks require complex combinations of sensitive equipment, system installation tends to require extensive and typically permanent modifications to their aircraft or investment in a purpose-built ISR airframe. By contrast, Marshall ARC-Radar is a role-fit palletised solution with no permanent integration and no modifications required, utilising only existing aircraft power outlets.
Marshall ARC-Radar comprises a two-panel Leonardo Osprey 30 multi-domain active electronically scanned array (AESA) surveillance radar, two modified paratroop doors containing a Marshall-designed and manufactured ultra-low-profile conformal radome, a rear pallet containing two articulated radar mounts and line-replaceable unit (LRU) rack, and a forward pallet containing a mission management console. The industry-leading capabilities of Leonardo’s radar, combined with the inherent multi-role flexibility of tactical transport platforms, means that Marshall ARC-Radar’s potential applications are remarkably broad, ranging from military ISR land, sea or air missions to applied civilian operations such as search and rescue, humanitarian support, and disaster relief. Despite being fitted temporarily, the Osprey 30 radar suite maintains full performance during operation.
“The unique benefit of this roll-on-roll-off system is that it effectively expands the utilisation of existing assets for multi-mission purposes. This means the operator could be transporting troops on a Monday and conducting an ISR mission on a Tuesday with the same aircraft, our solution offers true operational mobility,” Ben Jakubowski, head of Marshall Aerospace’s Future Products team said.
“Marshall’s system using our Osprey 30 AESA radar demonstrated performance which looked as good as any similar system I have tested to date. The Marshall Team should be immensely proud of the innovative product they have developed,” commented Stan Hargreaves, Leonardo’s Head of Operational Demonstrations said.
The entire Marshall system can be fitted or removed in under four hours, guaranteeing minimal aircraft downtime. No modifications need to be made to the underlying aircraft and there are no performance or handling penalties with the product installed. The result is that fleet operators are freely able to alter the role of an aircraft on a day-by-day basis. The role-fit nature of the solution means that operators are not constrained to the availability of a single aircraft. The system provides significant cost savings by offering the core capability of a dedicated ISR system but with the added flexibility of a transferable multi-mission system utilising an existing fleet – a potential saving of millions. The scalable nature of the system also allows for future growth of ISR capability at minimal cost.
Marshall ARC-Radar has undergone extensive testing on the Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules platform. In addition to ground-fit trials, a product proving sortie was recently flown with the aim of testing the capability of the radar. During this flight trial, all radar modes were tested and their performance thoroughly verified by Leonardo representatives on a range of static and moving targets of various sizes over both land and sea. Additionally, the modular format of the Marshall ARC platform will allow multiple interchangeable missions across various C-130 configurations, as well a wider range of military transport aircraft. Likewise, the system’s modularity also provides a simplified future upgrade path for a range of sensors and satcom solutions as technology evolves.
As Marshall Aerospace (part of the privately-owned Marshall Group) headquartered in Cambridge. The company employ a global team of over 2,000 highly skilled people at locations in the UK, the Netherlands, UAE, Canada and the USA. Marshall, which owns a broad portfolio of businesses in the Aerospace and Defence, Automotive, Fleet Management, Property and Education sectors, boasts a rich heritage with aviation dating back to 1912 when its mechanics played a key role in the repair of the British Army Airship Beta II. Since then, the Marshall name has become synonymous with the aerospace industry, not least because of its long history of apprenticeships that has seen it launch the careers of over 20,000 apprentices, lots of whom remain in the business and many of whom have gone on forge amazing careers elsewhere in the industry.
