 A British Aerospace Sea Harrier FRS1, showing the black radome for the nose-mounted Blue Fox radar antenna. | |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Introduced | 1979 |
| Type | Airborne radar |
| Frequency | I-band |
The Ferranti Blue Fox was a British multi-role airborne radar designed and built for the Royal Navy by Ferranti Defence Systems in the late 1970s. [1] It had a mixed record in service, and was replaced by the more capable Blue Vixen.
Blue Fox was developed to a Royal Navy requirement for a radar to equip the British Aerospace Sea Harrier FRS.1. Its primary role would be to detect large targets like maritime reconnaissance aircraft or anti-shipping bombers flying over the sea. A secondary role was air-to-surface search and strike against shipping. The system was designed within strict limits of size, time and cost.
Ferranti developed the system using components of their Ferranti Seaspray radar, used on the Westland Lynx naval helicopter to detect ships. [2] It emerged as a frequency agile I band radar that weighed less than 85 kilograms in total.
Three two-seat Hawker Hunters were also fitted with Blue Fox radars for Royal Navy Sea Harrier pilot training, designated Hunter T.8M. [3]
The Blue Fox entered operational service with the Fleet Air Arm in July 1981 when 801 Naval Air Squadron, under the command of Commander Nigel "Sharkey" Ward, was commissioned and went to sea aboard HMS Invincible. [4] Previously, 899 Naval Air Squadron, the Headquarters Training Squadron for the new Sea Harrier and 800 Naval Air Squadron, the first operational unit of the type, had initially flown their aircraft without radar fitted. [5]
Following the Argentinian invasion of the Falkland Islands in April 1982, the British Government dispatched a naval task force to the South Atlantic, including two aircraft carriers, each carrying a Sea Harrier squadron. 801 Squadron was embarked on HMS Invincible and 800 Squadron (now with Blue Fox) on the flagship, HMS Hermes. The leadership of 800 Squadron had experienced difficulties with the Blue Fox radar and took the view that it was useless, discounting Ward's claims that the equipment performed better than Ferranti had predicted. [6] A Ferranti engineer joined the task force at Ascension Islands, primarily to fix a problem with seawater ingress into the radome, but was also able to retune 800 Squadron's radars. However, by that time, confidence in the equipment had been lost and there remained considerable differences in the way it was utilised between the two squadrons throughout the conflict. [7] In the course of the war, four Argentinian aircraft were destroyed in air-to-air combat using Blue Fox. As was expected, the radar was unable to "look down" over land or rough sea and the other interceptions relied on a combination of ships' radars and visual acquisition. [8] However, in moderate sea states, the Blue Fox was found to be useful in the surface search mode, being able to detect a warship at a range of 100 nautical miles (190 km). On 2 May, a single Sea Harrier was able to detect the Argentinian carrier group as it approached the British task force. [9]
The Fleet Air Arm's Sea Harrier FRS1 with Blue Fox began to be phased out in 1989 with the introduction of the FA2 version, which was fitted with the more capable Ferranti Blue Vixen radar. The remaining FRS1 aircraft were converted to this standard as the FRS2.
The Indian Navy acquired Sea Harriers in three batches, the first in 1983. For the second batch, to be delivered in 1989, the Indians sought a radar with a better "look down" capability, but the successor to the Blue Fox, the Blue Vixen, was still undergoing trials in the United Kingdom and would not be available for export for some years, so Blue Fox was reluctantly accepted. [10] The Indian Sea Harriers were eventually upgraded by the replacement of Blue Fox with the Israeli Elta EL/M-2032 radar. [11]
India 
United Kingdom 
The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is the naval aviation component of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy (RN). The FAA is one of five RN fighting arms. As of 2023 it is a primarily helicopter force, undertaking roles once performed by biplanes such as the Fairey Swordfish. It operates the F-35 Lightning II for maritime strike and the AW159 Wildcat and AW101 Merlin for commando and anti-submarine warfare.
The Invincible class was a class of light aircraft carrier operated by the Royal Navy. Three ships were constructed: HMS Invincible, HMS Illustrious and HMS Ark Royal. The vessels were built as aviation-capable anti-submarine warfare (ASW) platforms to counter the Cold War North Atlantic Soviet submarine threat, and initially embarked Sea Harrier aircraft and Sea King HAS.1 anti-submarine helicopters. With cancellation of the aircraft carriers renewal programme in the 1960s, the three ships became the replacements for Ark Royal and Eagle fleet carriers and the Centaur-class light fleet carriers, and the Royal Navy's sole class of aircraft carrier.
HMS Hermes was a conventional British aircraft carrier and the last of the Centaur class.
HMS Invincible was the Royal Navy's lead ship of her class of three light aircraft carriers. She was launched on 3 May 1977 as the seventh ship to carry the name. She was originally designated as an anti-submarine warfare carrier, but was used as an aircraft carrier during the Falklands War, when she was deployed with HMS Hermes. She took over as flagship of the British fleet when Hermes was sold to India. Invincible was also deployed in the Yugoslav Wars and the Iraq War. In 2005, she was decommissioned, and was eventually sold for scrap in February 2011.
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Joint Force Harrier, initially known as Joint Force 2000 and towards the end of its life as Joint Strike Wing, was the British military formation which controlled the British Aerospace Harrier II and British Aerospace Sea Harrier aircraft of the Royal Air Force and Fleet Air Arm between 2000 and 2011. It was subordinate to RAF Air Command.
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800 Naval Air Squadron was a Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm carrier-based squadron formed on 3 April 1933 by amalgamating No's 402 and 404 Flights.
Commander Nigel David "Sharkey" MacCartan-Ward, was a Royal Navy officer who introduced the Sea Harrier aircraft to service with the Fleet Air Arm and commanded 801 Naval Air Squadron during the Falklands War. His nickname of "Sharkey" is traditional for anyone called Ward in the navy, after the Barbary corsair Jack Ward.
892 Naval Air Squadron was a carrier-based fighter squadron of the British Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. It was formed in 1943, flying Grumman Martlets, and was the only operational Fleet Air Arm squadron to fly the McDonnell Douglas Phantom FG.1.
801 Naval Air Squadron (NAS) was a Fleet Air Arm squadron of the Royal Navy formed in 1933 which fought in World War II, the Korean War and the Falklands War.
The Fleet Requirements and Air Direction Unit (FRADU) was a unit of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm operated by the contractor Serco Defence and Aerospace. It was established in 1972. It was most recently equipped with 13 BAE Systems Hawk T1 advanced jet trainer aircraft on lease to the Royal Navy from the Royal Air Force, based at RNAS Culdrose in Cornwall. Two of these aircraft were permanently detached to Naval Flying Standards Flight at RNAS Yeovilton where they are flown by RN pilots, but maintained by Serco engineers.
792 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm and was originally formed at RNAS St Merryn in August 1940 as an Air Target Unit, equipped with six Blackburn Skuas. The squadron disbanded in 1945 and merged with 794 Naval Air Squadron. 792 Squadron reformed at RNAS Culdrose in 1948 as a Night Fighter Training Unit. It was initially equipped with Fairey Firefly NF.1s and Avro Ansons. They were later replaced with Sea Hornets shortly before the squadron disbanded again in August 1950.
Blue Vixen was a British airborne radar designed and built for the Royal Navy by Ferranti Defence Systems, Edinburgh, Scotland. It was the primary radar of later models of the British Aerospace Sea Harrier, replacing the Ferranti Blue Fox used on earlier models of the Harrier.
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