AUSA 2023: DRS RADA Technologies develops X-band radar sensor for US Army operations

DRS RADA Technologies developed the nMHR, a wide-band, X-band radar sensor, for highly mobile ground-based air-defence operations. (DRS RADA Technologies)

DRS RADA Technologies has developed a wide-band, X-band radar sensor called the nMHR (Next-generation Multi-Mission Hemispheric Radar) for highly mobile ground-based air-defence operations, Charlene Caputo, Business Development vice-president, told Janes.

“Traditionally DRS radars have operated in the S-band as this band offers an excellent balance of range and accuracy,” Caputo told Janes on 5 October during a briefing in advance of the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) 2023 symposium, which started on 9 October in Washington, DC.

“However, this band is being considered for worldwide re-allocation to commercial communications in support of 5G networks,” she said.

“DRS is proactively developing radars in diverse spectrums to mitigate the impactto training and operations, with our X-band radar being the first release,” she said. “These newer radars will share the same characteristic of being software-defined, 4D active electronically scanned array (AESA) radars that can support a variety of operational missions.”

In addition to addressing future 5G conflicts, X-band offers other advantages, according to the company. The radar utilises wide-band operation, direct radio frequency (RF) sampling, digital beam-forming, and a planar T/R architecture – all meant to enhance high-resolution search and fire control track accuracy.

“The nMHR achieves [a] range equivalent to larger S-band radars but offers significantly improved accuracy due to the nature of the waveform,” she said. “Also, as our newest digital radar, the nMHR provides the architecture to support superior ECCM [electronic counter-countermeasures] protections, improved multipath and clutter algorithms, and native artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. When combined, these features give commanders the ability to confidently detect, track, and engage targets at extended ranges.”