Editing AI.24 Foxhunter

{{Refimprove|date=December 2021}}

{{Short description|British aircraft interception radar}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2018}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2018}}
{{Infobox radar
|name      = AI.24 Foxhunter
|image     = Museum of Flight Tornado 01.jpg
|caption   = AI.24 Foxhunter along with a [[Panavia Tornado ADV]]
|country   = UK
|introdate = 1981
|number    = 
|type      = [[Pulse-Doppler radar|Pulse-Doppler]] [[FMCW|FMICW]]
|frequency =   <!--<frequency> band-->
|PRF       =   <!--pulse repetition frequency-->
|beamwidth =   <!--X° (horizontal), X° (vertical)-->
|pulsewidth=   <!--pulse width-->
|RPM       =   <!--revolutions per minute-->
|range     =   <!--{{km to mi|X|abbr=yes}}-->
|altitude  =   <!--{{m to ft|X|addr=yes}}-->
|diameter  =   <!--{{m to ft|X|addr=yes}}-->
|azimuth   =   <!--X-Yº-->
|elevation =   <!--X-Yº-->
|precision =   <!--±{{m to ft|X|addr=yes}}-->
|power     =
|other names= Foxhunter
}}

The '''AI.24''' '''''Foxhunter''''' was an [[aircraft interception radar|aircraft interception (AI) radar]] carried by the [[Panavia Tornado ADV]] [[fighter aircraft]] (known as the Tornado F3 in [[Royal Air Force]] service), which gave it an all-weather, day-and-night, beyond-visual-range engagement capability.

==Production==
The radar was manufactured by [[Marconi Electronic Systems|GEC-Marconi]] subsidiaries and other partners, with major parts from [[Ferranti]]. 
Despite initial problems, (the radar was several years late and 60 per cent over budget) successive upgrades constantly improved the RAF's Tornado F3 fleet.{{cn|date=December 2021}}

==Development==
[[File:AI.24 Foxhunter radar 0003.jpg|thumb|AI.24 Foxhunter radar]]

Much of the radar system and related operational software was developed at the Radar Research Laboratory of [[Marconi Electronic Systems|GEC-Marconi Elliott Avionic Systems Ltd.]], initially at the [[Elliott Automation]] plant in [[Borehamwood]], [[Hertfordshire]], [[United Kingdom]], and latterly (from 1981 to 2004) as [[Marconi Avionics]] at the (formerly the Xerox site of a matrix of interconnected grey portacabins and a few factory units) facility on Monks Way, Linford Wood, [[Milton Keynes]].  This site has changed completely in the years since, but there is now a Foxhunter Drive starting where the high security gate was.{{cn|date=December 2021}}

==History==
The radar was flight tested on a [[Hawker Siddeley]] [[Blackburn Buccaneer|Buccaneer]] and first flew in a Tornado F.2 in June 1981.<ref>{{cite news | title = Tornado Radar | work = Aviation Week & Space Technology | publisher = McGraw-Hill, Inc. | page = 63 | date = 1981-06-29}}</ref>

===Contractual relationships===
In 1987 GEC argued that the contractual relationships were partly to blame for the delay in the Foxhunter entering service &ndash; although GEC was responsible for most of the radar, Ferranti manufactured the antenna platform (the scanner less the antenna) and transmitter and reported to the [[Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Defence]] who acted as the prime contactor.<ref>{{cite news | first =  David | last = Buchan |author2=McLain, Lynton | title = Closing Ranks In Defence Of Foxhunter | work = Financial Times | publisher = The Financial Times Limited | page = 6 | date = 1987-04-02}}</ref> A new contract was signed in March 1988 and described as "tight" (i.e. not lenient towards Marconi) by the ''[[Financial Times]]''.{{cn|date=December 2021}}

===Production delays===
Production Tornado F.2s had [[concrete]] ballast in place of the Foxhunter radar, due to the development delays. This ballast became known as the "[[Blue Circle]] radar", a play on words from a British brand of cement by the same name, and the [[Rainbow Codes]] previously used for British radars.

The UK's Tornado F3 fleet were ultimately equipped with "Stage 3 AI.24s".{{Citation needed|date=May 2008}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=AI-24 Foxhunter Radar |url=https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/objects/co8413758/ai-24-foxhunter-radar-aeroplane-component. }}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20111001202030/http://www.tornado-data.com/History/overview.htm Implementation in the Tornado]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ai.24 Foxhunter}}
[[Category:Aircraft radars]]
[[Category:Ferranti]]
[[Category:General Electric Company]]
[[Category:Military radars of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Military equipment introduced in the 1980s]]