P-18 radar
Encyclopedia
The P-18 or 1RL131 is a 2D VHF radar
developed and operated by the former Soviet Union
.
, the P-18 radar being accepted into service in 1970 following the successful completion of the radars test program. The P-18 was developed by the SKB Design Bureau, a division of State Plant No.197 named after V. I. Lenin who developed the previous P-12, the predecessor of the current Nizhniy Novgorod Research Institute of Radio Engineering (NNIIRT). In 1979 a new secondary IFF radar the 1L22 "Parol" entered into service to complement the P-18, unlike the previous secondary radar NRS-12 (NATO "Score Board") the new interrogator was carried on a separate truck.
The P-18 is still in service today and was widely exported, many companies offer upgrade options to improve the performance and reliability of the radar and to replace out-dated components. NNIIRT offers an upgrade package for the P-18 which includes the installation of a solid state
transmitter and receiver, automatic jammer suppression equipment as well as PC
based signal processing, test and interface equipment. These upgraded variants of the P-18 can be referred to as the P-18M, P-18-1 or P-18-2 depending on the manufacturer, modification and radar nationality. The P-18 was superseded by the 1L13 "Nebo" VHF surveillance radar in 1984. Currently, the Russian-Belarussian company Defense Systems
provides upgrades for P-18 radars.
The P-18 shares many similarities with the earlier P-12NA and like the P-12 it is mounted on two Ural-4320
truck chassis. The P-18 features many improvements over the P-12 including increased performance, precision and reliability. The radar was developed to work independently or as part of a C3
system directing SAM
and aircraft to hostile targets, the truck mounted design provided the radar with high mobility.
The P-18 uses a single antenna
accomplishing both transmission
and reception. The antenna is composed of sixteen Yagi antenna
s mounted in sets of eight with one set above the other. The radar antenna is mounted on the truck used to transport it improving mobility and the radar also features a mechanism which allows the antenna height and elevation to be altered during operation. Azimuth is scanned mechanically by the antenna with a rotation of 10 r.p.m, the original P-18 used three indicators, including two plan position indicators in addition to a back-up A-scope. Like the P-12 the radar features automatic frequency control with four pre-set operating frequencies, moving target indicator to eliminate passive clutter and active jamming, the radar could also display tracks from another radar it was paired with. The original P-18 used a coaxial cavity resonator
transmitter, vacuum tube receiver with transistor based preamplifier and a vacuum tube/pin diode based duplexer. A secondary radar for IFF
is generally used in conjunction with the P-18, either the NRS-12 or the later 1L22 "Parol".
The P-18 was operated by the Soviet Union from 1970 and though it has since become obsolete it was passed down to successor states after the fall of the Soviet Union. The radar continues to serve in many client and third world states who received the P-18 from the Soviet Union by export. Many P-18 have been upgraded and continue to serve in the military and air traffic control
role across the world.
- Passed to successor states. - Displayed during Kecskemét 2007 Air and Military Show, upgraded by HM Arzenal from 2000. - Upgraded by Aerotechnica MLT . - Used by fist "Flying Rhino" NATO Exercise 1999 - Known as "Laura" locally. - Upgraded to track stealth planes and responsible for tracking and downing F-117 in Kosovo War
in 1999 http://www.politika.rs/rubrike/Drustvo/Zastavnik-protiv-NATO-a.lt.html - Known as "Maalinosoitustutka 2", used for anti-aircraft artillery as well as now-obsolete S-125 Neva/Pechora batteries.
during the Kosovo War
is believed to have contributed to the loss of an US F-117 Nighthawk
during the conflict.
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
developed and operated by the former Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
.
Development
The P-18 early warning radar is a development of the earlier P-12 radarP-12 radar
The P-12 "Yenisei" was an early 2D VHF radar developed and operated by the former Soviet Union.-Development:...
, the P-18 radar being accepted into service in 1970 following the successful completion of the radars test program. The P-18 was developed by the SKB Design Bureau, a division of State Plant No.197 named after V. I. Lenin who developed the previous P-12, the predecessor of the current Nizhniy Novgorod Research Institute of Radio Engineering (NNIIRT). In 1979 a new secondary IFF radar the 1L22 "Parol" entered into service to complement the P-18, unlike the previous secondary radar NRS-12 (NATO "Score Board") the new interrogator was carried on a separate truck.
The P-18 is still in service today and was widely exported, many companies offer upgrade options to improve the performance and reliability of the radar and to replace out-dated components. NNIIRT offers an upgrade package for the P-18 which includes the installation of a solid state
Solid state (electronics)
Solid-state electronics are those circuits or devices built entirely from solid materials and in which the electrons, or other charge carriers, are confined entirely within the solid material...
transmitter and receiver, automatic jammer suppression equipment as well as PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
based signal processing, test and interface equipment. These upgraded variants of the P-18 can be referred to as the P-18M, P-18-1 or P-18-2 depending on the manufacturer, modification and radar nationality. The P-18 was superseded by the 1L13 "Nebo" VHF surveillance radar in 1984. Currently, the Russian-Belarussian company Defense Systems
Defense Systems
-Overview:The company was formed on January 23, 1996 as a joint venture under a Russia-Belarus intergovernmental agreement. It consists of 38 subsidiaries in both countries...
provides upgrades for P-18 radars.
Description
Ural-4320
The Ural-4320 is a general purpose off-road 6x6 truck, produced at the Ural Automotive Plant in Miass, Russia for use in the Russian army. Introduced in 1976, it is still in production today....
truck chassis. The P-18 features many improvements over the P-12 including increased performance, precision and reliability. The radar was developed to work independently or as part of a C3
C3
-Biology:* C3 carbon fixation in plants* C3-convertase, an enzyme* Apolipoprotein C3, a human very low density lipoprotein* ATC code C03 Diuretics, a subgroup of the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification System...
system directing SAM
Surface-to-air missile
A surface-to-air missile or ground-to-air missile is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft or other missiles...
and aircraft to hostile targets, the truck mounted design provided the radar with high mobility.
The P-18 uses a single antenna
Antenna (radio)
An antenna is an electrical device which converts electric currents into radio waves, and vice versa. It is usually used with a radio transmitter or radio receiver...
accomplishing both transmission
Transmission (telecommunications)
Transmission, in telecommunications, is the process of sending, propagating and receiving an analogue or digital information signal over a physical point-to-point or point-to-multipoint transmission medium, either wired, optical fiber or wireless...
and reception. The antenna is composed of sixteen Yagi antenna
Yagi antenna
A Yagi-Uda array, commonly known simply as a Yagi antenna, is a directional antenna consisting of a driven element and additional parasitic elements...
s mounted in sets of eight with one set above the other. The radar antenna is mounted on the truck used to transport it improving mobility and the radar also features a mechanism which allows the antenna height and elevation to be altered during operation. Azimuth is scanned mechanically by the antenna with a rotation of 10 r.p.m, the original P-18 used three indicators, including two plan position indicators in addition to a back-up A-scope. Like the P-12 the radar features automatic frequency control with four pre-set operating frequencies, moving target indicator to eliminate passive clutter and active jamming, the radar could also display tracks from another radar it was paired with. The original P-18 used a coaxial cavity resonator
Resonator
A resonator is a device or system that exhibits resonance or resonant behavior, that is, it naturally oscillates at some frequencies, called its resonant frequencies, with greater amplitude than at others. The oscillations in a resonator can be either electromagnetic or mechanical...
transmitter, vacuum tube receiver with transistor based preamplifier and a vacuum tube/pin diode based duplexer. A secondary radar for IFF
IFF
IFF, Iff or iff may refer to:Technology/Science:* Identification friend or foe, an electronic radio-based identification system using transponders...
is generally used in conjunction with the P-18, either the NRS-12 or the later 1L22 "Parol".
Operators
Air traffic control
Air traffic control is a service provided by ground-based controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and in the air. The primary purpose of ATC systems worldwide is to separate aircraft to prevent collisions, to organize and expedite the flow of traffic, and to provide information and other...
role across the world.
- Passed to successor states. - Displayed during Kecskemét 2007 Air and Military Show, upgraded by HM Arzenal from 2000. - Upgraded by Aerotechnica MLT . - Used by fist "Flying Rhino" NATO Exercise 1999 - Known as "Laura" locally. - Upgraded to track stealth planes and responsible for tracking and downing F-117 in Kosovo War
Kosovo War
The term Kosovo War or Kosovo conflict was two sequential, and at times parallel, armed conflicts in Kosovo province, then part of FR Yugoslav Republic of Serbia; from early 1998 to 1999, there was an armed conflict initiated by the ethnic Albanian "Kosovo Liberation Army" , who sought independence...
in 1999 http://www.politika.rs/rubrike/Drustvo/Zastavnik-protiv-NATO-a.lt.html - Known as "Maalinosoitustutka 2", used for anti-aircraft artillery as well as now-obsolete S-125 Neva/Pechora batteries.
Combat History
The P-18 has served in several conflicts in the middle east, Europe and Asia. One unusual feature of the P-18 is its counter-stealth capability. Since the radar uses metric VHF, the shaping features and radar absorbent materials used on stealth aircraft are less efficient, allowing VHF based radars to detect targets at a greater range than centimeter or millimeter wave radar which stealth aircraft are optimized against. The presence of a P-18 radar in YugoslaviaYugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
during the Kosovo War
Kosovo War
The term Kosovo War or Kosovo conflict was two sequential, and at times parallel, armed conflicts in Kosovo province, then part of FR Yugoslav Republic of Serbia; from early 1998 to 1999, there was an armed conflict initiated by the ethnic Albanian "Kosovo Liberation Army" , who sought independence...
is believed to have contributed to the loss of an US F-117 Nighthawk
F-117 Nighthawk
The Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk was a single-seat, twin-engine stealth ground-attack aircraft formerly operated by the United States Air Force . The F-117A's first flight was in 1981, and it achieved initial operating capability status in October 1983...
during the conflict.