An image of the URAL radio relay system on display at DSA 2024. (Janes/Rakend P)

Turkish company Aselsan has unveiled its latest radio relay system at the Defence Services Asia (DSA) 2024 exhibition held in Kuala Lumpur from 6 to 9 May.

The system, known as URAL, is an airborne software-defined radio relay operating in the very/ultra-high frequency (V/UHF) band.

URAL is designed for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and other airborne platforms for surveillance, reconnaissance, and mapping applications.

It utilises Aselsan's advanced network waveform features to achieve the high throughput data rate.

The VHF and UHF bands are incorporated in a single unit to reduce the system's size and weight to meet the low size, weight, and power (SWaP) requirement of UAVs. The company told Janes that older radio relays are available in single band only, either VHF or UHF frequency.

Aselsan's representative did not disclose the modulation type, data rate, and the waveforms incorporated in the system at the time of publication. Based on Janes

An infographic of Aselsan's Marlin USV, which is on display at DSA 2024. (Janes)

Turkey's Aselsan has for the first time displayed its Marlin unmanned surface vessel (USV) in its full anti-submarine warfare (ASW) configuration.

In this configuration – on show at the Defence Services Asia (DSA) 2024 exhibition in Kuala Lumpur from 6 to 9 May – the USV is integrated with the Mini-Düfas low-frequency active towed array and passive towed sonar system. Aselsan aims to operationalise the mini version of its Düfas towed active sonar for USVs, called Düfas-M, in 2024.

Tests on hardware components are under way, with sea trials on a Marlin USV set for the second half of 2024. Düfas features both active and passive arrays and detection and tracking capabilities.

Speaking to Janes on 7 May, Suat Ekmen, Aselsan's Asia-Pacific manager, said, “The specifications including operating frequencies of the array and the towed cable length are kept confidential since the system is at the final stage of development.”

An image of the SAR jamming system on display at QuanLian's booth at DSA 2024. (Janes/Rakend P)

Chinese manufacturer QuanLian T&E (Hainan) International Trade Co Ltd showcased a jamming system for synthetic aperture radars (SARs) at the Defence Services Asia (DSA) 2024 exhibition held in Kuala Lumpur from 6 to 9 May.

This is the first time the system is displayed outside the home country, the manufacturer informed Janes .

The system counters SARs and reduces the probability of detection. It provides warning of SAR transmissions and jams it. The equipment is designed for protection against X-band frequencies (8–12 GHz).

It consists of an antenna module and a signal processing module and can operate in electronic support (ES) and electronic attack (EA) modes. The ES receiver of the system continuously monitors SAR signal emissions in the X-band and provides the SAR reconnaissance warning.

The ES receiver has -60 dBm sensitivity to detect SAR emissions with 360º azimuth coverages.

The EA system jams the SAR systems using a coherent suppression method. The jammer also operates in X-band frequencies with a bandwidth of 1 GHz.

Representatives of QuanLian told