Multi-Role Electronically Scanned Array (MESA) Surveillance Sensor

Multi-Role Electronically Scanned Array (MESA) Surveillance Sensor

The ability to accurately detect and identify targets at increasingly longer ranges is critical to maintaining a decisive advantage.

The powerful, multifunction MESA sensor provides mission crews with the capabilities required to track, identify and understand airborne, maritime and ground targets simultaneously while maintaining continuous surveillance for E-7 airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) operators.

MESA offers operators an unrestricted 360-degree view, providing multi-domain awareness and enabling warfighters to see farther and make accelerated, informed decisions to meet mission objectives and achieve fleet interoperability.

Precise Detection and Target Tracking

MESA’s fully integrated, world-class, long-range Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) capability enables operators to distinguish friendly assets from potential threats, providing enhanced, continuous surveillance of the operational area. AIMS certified for Mode 5, MESA’s IFF system leverages advanced waveforms, robust encryption and state-of-the-art techniques to process key intel and identify air threats faster than ever before.

Fueled by advanced signal processing, scheduling algorithms technology and custom-tailored high-power amplifiers (HPA), the MESA sensor provides extended detection ranges and the ability to dynamically adjust to each unique or emerging tactical situation. With this cutting-edge technology, the E-7 provides crew and fleet decision and action advantage against potential threats. By channeling its energy to the threat, MESA nearly doubles its detection range in the emphasis location, all while maintaining a complete view of the battlespace. Compared to other surveillance sensors, MESA also has higher update rates for enhanced tracking, bringing battle management to the edge of its surveillance envelope.

Photo Credit: Boeing

Countering Modern Threats

MESA’s unmatched airborne sensing is due, in part, to its active electronically scanned array (AESA) technology, which also provides the E-7 advanced electronic protection.

Advanced jamming threats can jeopardize the warfighters’ view and understanding of the environment. With MESA’s multiple channels and independent receivers, the sensor uses modern electronic protection techniques to adapt to jamming and electronic attack threats, while simultaneously maintaining situational awareness.

Streamlining Production and Development In-house

Our teams leverage the diversity of experience and expertise to produce reliable hardware and secure software for MESA, with production spanning across multiple facilities.

Northrop Grumman’s Advanced Technology Lab in Linthicum, Maryland, produces MESA’s microelectronic elements and radio frequency components. These elements, such as the HPA, are what fuel MESA’s high-power capability and allow the sensor to continuously scan and adapt in real-time.

Northrop Grumman also produces parts of MESA’s foundational structure including the base beam and radomes. The base beam and structural hardware, both produced in Lake Charles, Louisiana, form MESA’s foundational pieces and, like it’s microelectronic components, are custom-tailored to integrate into the E-7 airframe. Our specialized facility in San Diego, California, has decades-long experience designing radomes, allowing us to meet performance requirements while implementing key manufacturing efficiencies.

MESA is Mission-Ready

The state-of-the-art, combat-proven MESA sensor currently provides multi-domain capabilities to the Royal Australian, Turkish and Republic of Korea Air Forces. Production is underway for the Royal and U.S. Air Forces, who will soon experience MESA’s long-range first look, first engagement advantage, followed by NATO.

MESA is addressing global threats in the modern-day battlespace and continuously evolving to meet future mission requirements.