The Radar Warning Receiver

The radar warning receiver originally known as the passive warning receiver, was designed by Marconi Avionics and designated the ARI 18228.

Using crystal video technology the receiver “stared” at the electronic environment from “E Band” to “J Band”. At the lower end of the frequency range were the surveillance radars with most fighter radars and surface to air missile tracking radars in I and J bands.

The receive antennas were mounted at the front and rear of a modified fin cap giving the British Phantom a distinctive profile. Accuracy was reportedly + 5 degrees and in practice that was true.

The display and controls were located in the back cockpit and controlled by the navigator. A vector appeared on the small 4” display screen. An E band signal showed as 3 dashes, I band as a solid vector and J band as a five dashed line. The polar display showed threats in a full 360 degree arc around the Phantom. Additional lights showed track-while-scan threats, pulse threats and four green quadrant lights showed continuous wave threats typically associated with fighter radars.

A small control panel allowed the threat bands to be selected individually to aid identification or to limit the area of coverage. The raw audio signal of the electronic signature sounded in the crews headsets and could be controlled with a volume switch in both cockpits. The display sat on the front bulkhead but at the lower left hand side.