China Puts Radar Arrays in Wings Inside Planes to Build UAV Early Warning Network Chinese engineers from the Chengdu Aircraft Design and Research Institute have introduced an idea that would place large antenna arrays directly into the wings of the plane. Fighter jets typically carry their main radar behind a nose cone, while traditional airborne early warning aircraft mount large radar arrays in structures protruding above the fuselage. Wings offer a large surface area but are relatively thin, leaving little internal space for radar equipment. The researchers say the future of distributed air combat will require many smaller, cheaper unmanned aircraft working together rather than one large platform. This creates a technical challenge: achieving large-scale detection with relatively small individual platforms. How the wing-mounted radar will work The radar antenna is built directly into the wing itself, facing downwards, with a shroud that follows the shape of the wings - this gives the radar a much larger surface to work with than a nose-mounted system, without the need for a large external dome to point the radar in a different direction, the aircraft simply changes its flight attitude, which tilts the wing-mounted antenna to a different location. The study describes the system can work in different ways, including Scanning in all directions, scanning in several directions at the same time, and several aircraft working together - either spreading out to cover a wide area, focusing on a specific target, or joining forces to resist enemy jamming The fact that several aircraft detect targets together is described as the key to the whole "small platforms, big capabilities" idea A distributed network of radars placed in the wings on cheaper unmanned platforms will be more difficult to neutralize in a single strike and can extend coverage across the vast distances of the Indo-Pacific without relying on a handful of high-value targets.

China Puts Radar Arrays in Wings Inside Planes to Build UAV Early Warning Network Chinese engineers from the Chengdu Aircraft Design and Research Institute have introduced an idea that would place large antenna arrays directly into the wings of the plane. Fighter jets typically carry their main radar behind a nose cone, while traditional airborne early warning aircraft mount large radar arrays in structures protruding above the fuselage. Wings offer a large surface area but are relatively thin, leaving little internal space for radar equipment. The researchers say the future of distributed air combat will require many smaller, cheaper unmanned aircraft working together rather than one large platform. This creates a technical challenge: achieving large-scale detection with relatively small individual platforms. How the wing-mounted radar will work The radar antenna is built directly into the wing itself, facing downwards, with a shroud that follows the shape of the wings - this gives the radar a much larger surface to work with than a nose-mounted system, without the need for a large external dome to point the radar in a different direction, the aircraft simply changes its flight attitude, which tilts the wing-mounted antenna to a different location. The study describes the system can work in different ways, including Scanning in all directions, scanning in several directions at the same time, and several aircraft working together - either spreading out to cover a wide area, focusing on a specific target, or joining forces to resist enemy jamming The fact that several aircraft detect targets together is described as the key to the whole "small platforms, big capabilities" idea A distributed network of radars placed in the wings on cheaper unmanned platforms will be more difficult to neutralize in a single strike and can extend coverage across the vast distances of the Indo-Pacific without relying on a handful of high-value targets.