07 January 2022

Indra's 3D radar clears NATO tests

by Olivia Savage

The Lanza 3D Deployable Air Defence Radar passed NATO tactical ballistic missile detection and tracking tests. (Indra)

The Indra-developed Lanza 3D Deployable Air Defence Radar (DADR) has passed NATO tactical ballistic missile detection and tracking trials.

The company announced on 3 January that the radar cleared stringent NATO tests at the Radio-Electric Assessment and Analysis Centre of the National Institute of Aerospace Technology in Guadalajara, Mexico.

According to Indra, the platform was able to estimate the “different trajectory parameters needed to trigger offensive, defensive, and intelligence actions, such as the estimated launch point, point of impact, point of interception etc”. This would in turn, they claim, inform command-and-control centres with the information necessary to neutralise ballistic attacks or alleviate damage.

The NATO Support and Procurement Agency adopted a specific certification and assessment instrument to evaluate the radar's capabilities. This involved using a ground control station, and a transmitting tool on a drone to imitate the return radar signal reflected by a ballistic missile.

The trials saw the radar stressed against a range of flight profiles and different motor and ballistic trajectories, the announcement noted, along with a variety of launch and impact points, and trajectories of different lengths and/or altitudes.

Initially developed with the support of the Spanish Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Industry, Tourism, and Trade, the system is part of a family of LANZA 3D surveillance radars, which operate in the L-band. Previously, only one other radar, the RAT-31DL/M manufactured by Leonardo, has met NATO's DADR standards and been supplied to member countries.

Indra's 3D DADR platform is set to be a part of NATO's Deployable Air Command and Control Centre, offering air surveillance and control. The radar is also due to enter service with the Spanish Air Force and the UK's Royal Air force, among others.

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