HENSOLDT UK unveils new X-band ground surveillance radar

HENSOLDT UK has unveiled its newest mid-range, X-band ground surveillance radar designed to enable offensive operations such as long-range fire support, while also support defensive missions such as force protection for static installations and mobile ground formations.

The SPEXER 600 is the latest addition to the company’s SPEXER line of Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radars, which range from the SPEXER 10 series designed for perimeter force protection at small, austere bases and installations to the 2000 series, which is capable of automatic detection, classification, and tracking of ground, coastal, and low-flying air targets at a maximum range of 400 km.

The X-band AESA radar aboard the 600 series is a solid-state Gallium Nitride system operating at a frequency range of 9 to 9.6 GHz with an azimuth coverage area of plus or minus 60 degrees, and an elevation range of 40 degrees, according to a 21 January statement. The capabilities aboard the new 600-series radar are also enabled by the company’s SharpEye solid-state transceiver technology, programme officials said in the statement.

HENDSOLDT’s proprietary SharpEye technology is based on a solid-state pulse Doppler navigation and surface-search radar sensor, which allows target detection and acquisition via a very narrow radar cross-section, according to a company fact sheet. Initially launched in 2006 as a target-detection capability for deep sea and littoral maritime operations, the SharpEye technology can also operate in severe weather or high-frequency interference environments.