Hill depot testing sustains F-16 radar readiness

Official Statements

• Hill Air Force Base, November 10: “HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah — At Hill Air Force Base, the 523rd Electronic Maintenance Squadron supports a range of F-16 sustainment workloads. Among its specialized capabilities, the squadron repairs and tests radar antennas and evaluates radomes, the protective nose cones at the front of the jet. Together, those components help provide the accurate radar picture pilots rely on to detect, track and engage threats.

  During flight, the fire control radar antenna sends and receives signals through the radome. Kelly Sellers, 523rd EMXS Avionics Flight chief, said the radome is more than a protective cover. It must allow radar signals to pass through without weakening, bending or otherwise distorting them.

  “The radome is not just a fiberglass cover; it is a highly engineered electromagnetic window,” Sellers said. “Even tiny, invisible physical flaws (such as moisture intrusion, micro-cracks, composite delamination, or improper paint thickness) will act like a dirty lens, refracting or absorbing radar waves.”

  For an F-16 pilot, a radome or antenna that does not perform as designed can mean an unreliable radar picture. Sellers said detection and tracking range can be reduced, false returns can appear, and a target can register in a slightly different location than it actually is. That can make it harder for the pilot to maintain a target track, achieve a successful lock-on and employ radar-guided weapons accurately.

  “Because the fire control radar antenna is located directly behind (inside) the nose radome, the two systems must function in perfect electromagnetic harmony,” Sellers said.

  To verify that performance, the 523rd EMXS Radio Frequency Shop uses the Nose Radome Electrical Test System, or NRETS, and the Fire Control Radar Antenna Test System, known as FCRATS. NRETS evaluates how effectively radar signals pass through a radome and identifies distortion or attenuation that could affect radar performance. FCRATS evaluates the antenna’s radiation pattern, beam-pointing accuracy, sidelobe levels, and transmission and reception performance.

  Among the squadron’s broader F-16 sustainment efforts, NRETS and FCRATS provide a specialized capability for radar antenna repair and radome tuning. Sellers said those capabilities make the 523rd EMXS the sole source for F-16 radar antenna repair and radome tuning.

  The shop tests about 70 radomes and 160 antennas each year in support of F-16 fleet readiness. Before a radome reaches NRETS, it undergoes depot-level preparation that can include robotic coating removal, structural repair, resurfacing and precision painting. Radar antennas follow a separate maintenance path. Sellers said technicians diagnose and repair each antenna, then verify its operation on a specialized test station before completing final FCRATS testing.

  More than four decades after the F-16 entered Air Force service, keeping the fleet flying requires more than repairing individual parts. It also depends on reliable, up-to-date test systems that verify repaired radar components can perform as designed.

  Sellers said recent NRETS and FCRATS upgrades replaced obsolete test equipment and increased shop throughput and capacity, helping the 523rd EMXS respond to workload surges and urgent F-16 field needs.

  “I couldn’t be prouder of this team. Keeping the F-16 combat-ready really rests on their shoulders and specialized expertise,” said Dan Marcom, 523rd EMXS director. “By pairing unmatched craftsmanship with modernized test systems, our technicians ensure that every radome and antenna returning to the flightline delivers the clear, uncompromising radar picture our warfighters depend on.”