Airbus has begun flight operations with a flying radar laboratory in Germany, an A320 airliner fitted with a Eurofighter nose to test and develop the combat jet’s new radar.
The aircraft, the A320 ATRA (Advanced Technology Research Aircraft), has completed commissioning flights at the Airbus site in Manching, marking its entry into service as a flying test bed for the Eurofighter’s next-generation radar. The flights confirmed that the aircraft and radar perform in the air, the final step in validation.
The new radar is the Eurofighter Common Radar System Mk1, an active electronically scanned array (AESA), also known as E-Scan. It will equip upcoming Eurofighters of Germany’s Quadriga and Tranche 5 batches and Spain’s Halcón programme, with retrofits to in-service jets planned later.
Erik Lorch, head of the E-Scan Mk1 program, said, “This radar greatly enhances the capabilities of the Eurofighter in both air-to-air and air-to-ground operations.”
To test the radar in flight, Airbus worked with the German Aerospace Center (DLR), which owns the A320 ATRA and has flown it as a research aircraft for years. To carry the Eurofighter nose, the fuselage was reinforced, hundreds of meters of data cabling were laid and a liquid- and air-cooling system was added to regulate the radar’s temperature.
The cabin houses workstations where engineers can see in real time everything the radar provides to the pilot, as well as how the hardware and software perform.
Sebastian Ritz, who leads the A320 flying test bed program at Airbus Defence and Space, said, “We can monitor how the hardware performs and also test new software versions or features. The insights we generate will inform and accelerate the maturation and further development of the system.”
The structurally modified aircraft first flew in early 2025 without an active radar to prove its airworthiness, followed by extensive ground testing of the radar. With the flying test bed now operational, the A320 is set to become a regular sight at Manching as development of the E-Scan radar continues.
