Thales debuts BeamTracker UAV EW surveillance payload
BeamTracker is a vehicle-agnostic, low-SWaP radar EW payload designed for Class 1 and Class 2 UAVs. (Thales)
The electronic warfare (EW) business of Thales DMS France has unveiled a new lightweight, low-power radar electronic support measures (RESM)/electronic intelligence (ELINT) solution sized for deployment from unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) and other uncrewed platforms.
Known as BeamTracker, the low-size, weight and power (SWaP) payload has been designed to support early warning, situational awareness and intelligence gathering in both maritime and battlefield environments. Briefing media at its Gémenos site in southern France on 9 October 2026, Thales said it had commenced low-rate initial production in anticipation of first contracts.
Weighing approximately 5 kg, BeamTracker has been conceived as a low-SWaP, high performance sensor leveraging processing chains already proven in the company's Sentinel digital RESM product. It additionally builds on technology matured through the CURCO (charge utile R-ESM compacte: compact radar electronic-support-measures payload) technology demonstrator previously tested during exercises performed in 2024 and 2025 in partnership with the French Navy.
According to Thales data, BeamTracker covers the 1–18 GHz frequency range, offering an instantaneous bandwidth of 3 GHz and an instantaneous field of view of 100°. It uses amplitude-comparison direction finding, with Thales claiming a root-mean-square (RMS) bearing error of 3°.
Go beyond the headlines - with direct links to interconnected entities
Get full access to validated equipment, military capabilities, and market insights.
