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AN/ALQ-153 is an airborne range gate pulse-Doppler tail warning radar for detecting anti-aircraft missiles, protecting B-1B Lancer and B-52G/H Stratofortress aircraft. [1] [2] [3] It replaced the RCA AN/ALQ-127, introducing a solid-state transmitter, frequency-agile waveform and digital processor using non-scanning antennas that have low backlobes. [1] The ALQ-153 was originally manufactured by Westinghouse Electric Corp, now supported by Northrop Grumman. [4]
Competitive evaluation of the Westinghouse ALQ-153 against the AN/ALQ-154 manufactured by AIL began in 1975. At that time, both manufacturers received initial development contracts of US$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 at Barksdale Air Force Base, ten flight tests were conducted in May and June 1981. During these tests, totaling 39 hours, there were four failures with a mean time between failure (MTBF) rate of 9.75 hours. [3] By 1986, Westinghouse was awarded an additional US$102,727,898(equivalent to about $294,679,996 in 2024) to supply spares and war reserve stocks including 192 Radar receiver/transmitters, 159 Analog Data Signal Processors and 197 Digital Data Signal Processors. Deliveries were complete by February 1991. [5]
The US Air Force is the only operator of the AN/ALQ-153. It was never approved for foreign military sales. [5]
In accordance with the Joint Electronics Type Designation System (JETDS), the "AN/ALQ-153" designation represents the 153rd design of an Army-Navy electronic device for special countermeasures system. The JETDS system is also now used to name US Air Force systems.
Although primarily used for missile defense, the ALQ-153 could accurately warn of aircraft threats as well providing continuous range and time-to-intercept indications on the control indicator. [3] [6] When an approaching missile is detected, an audible tone is transmitted to the electronic warfare officer (EWO) allowing them to respond with the proper countermeasures. [3] The radar also provides automated management of expendable flare and chaff countermeasures used to decoy approaching missiles. [5]
The ALQ-153 consists of six line 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Radar receiver/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) |
| Active Countermeasures (Jamming) |
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| Passive Radar Warning Receivers | |||||||||
| Missile Warning Systems | |||||||||
| Dedicated ECM / ESM aircraft |
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