 For
as long as I have been in the RF and microwave career field*, the
Electronic Warfare and Radar Systems Engineering Handbook (2013)
(1999 version), published by the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons
Division (NAWCWD), has been the go-to publication for high level information on the title's subjects. Unbeknownst to many
people who have forgotten about it or gave up trying to find a copy of it, the publication was last updated in
2013. According to the Foreword:
"This handbook is designed to aid electronic warfare and radar systems engineers in making general estimations
regarding capabilities of systems. This handbook is sponsored by the NAVAIR Director of Electronic Warfare/Combat
Systems Department. This fourth edition updates technical information in Sections 3-7 and 3-8 from previous
editions."
Section 3-7 covers "Active Electronically Scanned Arrays (AESA)," and section 3-8 covers "Fractal Antennas."
A few other pages appear to have been added that either were not in the hard copy I own or are there but I didn't
bother scanning. Looking at the 2013 table of contents shows these topics as possibly new: EW Jamming Techniques,
RF / Microwave Amplifiers, Signal Generation, and Digital Processing Components.
For a long time (most of the early and mid 2000s), it was nearly impossible to find a copy of the previous
version, released in 1999, even on the Internet. The U.S. Navy's Weapons Division Avionics Department Electronic
Warfare Division, Point Mugu, California (which went away in 2000) was the publisher. After searching in vain
for a soft copy (PDF, DOC, HTML, etc.), and even after fruitlessly e-mailing the U.S. Navy trying to get a copy,
I finally scanned and OCRed an old hard copy I had in my files and posted it on RF Cafe (EW &
Radar Systems Handbook). As with most unrestricted access U.S. Government documents, the document is in the
Public Domain and may be reproduced and distributed at will as long as proper attribution is given and no changes
are made.
Whether you are an old-timer wanting to wax nostalgic over your glory days of engineering or a newbie who appreciates
an excellent source of electronic warfare and radar engineering basics, then click on the thumbnail above to peruse
the wealth of information contained within.
* Late 1980s / early 1990s
Posted on June 10, 2015
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