Israel Aerospace Industries is in the final stages of delivering a multirole persistent surveillance radar system mounted on an aerostat platform to a foreign customer, with acceptance testing having recently been completed.
The tethered aerostat solution will enable the operator to detect low flying and surface targets at the radar's maximum range by mitigating the curvature of the earth and terrain-masking limitations.
Developed by IAI subsidiary Elta Systems, the sensor is based on the ELM-2022A multirole radar. It detects and automatically tracks maritime and airborne targets, ranging in size from small periscopes to large maritime vessels in high sea states and in high-density coastal environments, the company says. The radar includes a ground moving target indication mode for detection in designated areas of interest.
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Elta Systems |
An electro-optical/infrared sensor payload is also installed on the aerostat and integrated with the radar, allowing enhanced identification capabilities.
The system can be operated locally or remotely and be deployed to different areas of interest as a primary sensor or temporary gap-filler.
"This novel concept, which allows for multisensor, multirole target detection and management, will be one of the first operational multimode aerostat platforms of its kind," says Elta president Nissim Hadas. "It follows IAI/Elta's tradition of innovation and provides the customer with high performance, cost-effective solutions."
Source: Flight International
