Candidate Models for the Joint Mobile Target Surveillance and Control System Are

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] With the retirement of the British Army's 'ASTOR' Sentinel R1 reconnaissance aircraft, attention is turning to next-generation reconnaissance aircraft. Our military is also on the verge of the Joint Moving Target Surveillance and Control Aircraft project, making this a noteworthy point.

According to the military on the 1st, the Joint Moving Target Surveillance and Control Aircraft project is planned to be promoted through the mid-term plan. Unlike airborne early warning and control aircraft (AWACS), which mainly detect aerial targets such as aircraft, the Joint Moving Target Surveillance and Control Aircraft primarily targets ground-based objects.

Inside and outside the military, it is argued that since North Korea is currently developing a new set of three weapons?the new tactical guided missile (tactical guided weapon, North Korean version of Iskander), super-large multiple rocket launcher, and North Korean version of ATACMS?accurate surveillance and detection are necessary.

The British Army deployed ASTOR in 2007 to monitor ground moving targets. Since then, the British Army has deployed it in actual combat in the Afghanistan War, France’s Mali operation, and in 2011, it performed a 12-hour and 30-minute mission during the Libya Elami operation, proving ASTOR’s flight performance. The UK operates NATO’s (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) Global Hawk and Sentinel R1 in coordination under U.S. leadership, earning evaluations for having a real-time surveillance system.

ASTOR is a model equipped with various radars and electronic equipment mounted on the 'Global Express' business jet. The AESA radar called DMRS has a detection range of up to 200 km. Flying at altitudes above 12 km, it stays out of the range of surface-to-air missiles. Initially, the British Army planned to retire ASTOR as soon as the Afghanistan mission ended, but it had to serve for 14 years. ASTOR completed its final reconnaissance mission at the UK Royal Air Force Waddington base in February and was retired on the 31st of last month.

The ASTOR operated by the British Army demonstrated how important surveillance and reconnaissance are in wartime situations. Considering this, military experts advise that our military must carefully deliberate when selecting the model for the Joint Moving Target Surveillance and Control Aircraft.

The next-generation reconnaissance aircraft ISTAR-K is also a model worth noting. ISTAR-K is equipped with the HISAR-500 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar and multi-spectral long-range optical equipment. ISTAR-K can provide high-resolution SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) images to ground forces and air force aircraft tasked with ground attack missions. This means it is not only a reconnaissance aircraft but can also be used as a core of command and control. In particular, it helps create a comprehensive operational concept on the battlefield as a system for SIGINT (signal intelligence) collection.

A Raytheon official said, “Signal intelligence is necessary to see through mountainous terrain,” adding, “An information, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) system that integrates radar, imagery, and signal information to deliver to commanders is essential in wartime situations.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.