Saab puts Sirius Compact EW system into production

Saab's Sirius Compact passive manportable EW system has started series production. (Saab)

Saab has started series production of its new Sirius Compact passive electronic warfare (EW) system, Janes learnt at AOC Europe 2024, held from 13 to 15 May in Oslo.

Designed to provide surveillance and geolocation of emitters at the tactical level, Sirius Compact blends signal processing and tools already employed in the company's Sirius passive EW product family with a new small form-factor sensor suitable for manportable operations, mast/tripod mounting, vehicle installation, or carriage on a small unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

The system is available in land-based (L20R) and airborne (A20R) versions operating in the 2–18 GHz frequency range. Recognising a market shift towards lower frequencies, Saab is introducing new variants – L21R and A21R – which offer extended coverage down to 1 GHz, Matthew Wilmott, sales director in Saab's Business Unit Surface Sensor Solutions, told Janes at the event.

Over the past year, the company has received initial orders for the L20R, A20R, and L21R variants, with relatively high quantities having been delivered to several customers, Wilmott confirmed. “We're talking triple digits,” he added.

Pre-series systems are already in the hands of operators, with series production deliveries expected to commence later in 2024. The current lead time is approximately 12 months between contract signing and delivery.

Launched to market in 2022, Sirius Compact has been conceived to provide battlefield users with an easily deployable passive EW capability, based on modern digital channelised receiver technology, which can perform detection, classification, and direction-finding of radar and datalink emissions. Saab sees low size, weight, and power as key discriminators, with the lightweight ‘coffee-thermos-size' sensor designed to be deployable within minutes.