RADA unveils at DSEI 2019 two new radars addressing the acute threats that land forces are facing in the modern battlefield. Both radars – the aCHR and xMHR, provide the central sensor element in mobile active protection capabilities – both APS and mobile SHORAD, are based on the company’s modular software-defined radar platform.

Optimized for APS, VPS and HFD applications, RADA’s aCHR comes as an armor-protected sensor designed to survive harsh battlefield conditions. Photo: RADA

The ‘advanced Compact Hemispheric Radar’ – aCHR, is a part of active protection systems (APS) representing the company’s most advanced radar platform for APS, vehicle protection systems, and Hostile Fire Detection (HFD) solutions. “The demand requirements include high accuracies, multi-mission, operation under a cluttered and saturated environment, low probability of detection, ballistic protection, and other high-end requirements.” Dov Sella, RADA CEO said.

[wlm_nonmember]Subscribe to Defense-Update to read the full version of this article[/wlm_nonmember]

[wlm_ismember]The aCHR represents the third evolution of the Compact Hemispheric Radar (CHR), a staring radar with 360 deg. Coverage designed for installation on combat vehicles and operate on the move. This digital, software-defined radar was originally developed for the Iron Fist APS and have since have been integrated with other soft- and hard-kill APS. The eCHR platform was enhanced with the capability to detect hostile fires, providing the vehicle and small unit critical alert time against elevated fires, with the calculated point of origin enabling the unit to employ effective counterfire against the threat.

The aCHR, currently in the heart of the Iron Fist APS, the system been selected by the US Army to protect the M2/3 Bradley Armored Infantry Fighting Vehicles. “The aCHR is compliant with the MAPS standard, meets and surpasses all APS/VPS challenges, and is the result of over a decade of evolving development and testing of its predecessors” Sela added. The CHR is currently in production, with first deliveries of the new aCHR model expected to commence in the fourth quarter of 2019. The Iron Fist has recently been selected by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), to protect the 8×8 Eitan APC and D9 Bear armored bulldozers.[/wlm_ismember]

RADA’s new extended multi-mission hemispheric radar (xMHR) is designed for land-mobile air defense applications such as the mobile C-RAM/SHORAD capability represented by this IDOME system from Rafael.

The ‘extended Multi-mission Hemispheric Radar’ – xMHR, is RADA’s next-generation radar platform for Mobile Short-Range Air Defense (MSHORAD) solutions for the maneuver force, providing enhanced fire control and air surveillance capabilities. In view of current and future tactical threats on the maneuver force, including short-range indirect fires and drones, the MSHORAD is a revived critical need among western forces, mainly the USA and NATO. The xMHR is broadening RADA’s family of on-the-move, multi-mission hemispheric radars, comprised of the drum-shaped MHR and ieMHR, that have been well accepted in numerous C-UAS and mobile-VSHORAD applications.

[wlm_ismember]The modular, flat-panel xMHR offers extended ranges, fire-control accuracies, multipath, and clutter handling and superior performance against low signature targets. Through its multi-mission and extreme configurability, the xMHR provides Counter Rocket, Artillery, and Mortar (C-RAM), Sense and Warn and ranging of friendly fire capabilities, in addition to the MSHORAD mission. RADA’s MHR radars are currently employed in a number of MSHORAD and MVSHORAD solutions, including the Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS) employed by the US Marine Corps and IM-SHORAD Striker, soon to enter with US Army combat brigades. xMHR is tailored to enhance the capabilities of such forward sensor platforms to address wider threat and target set, beyond the SHORAD target set, that includes aircraft, helicopters, and most recently UAS. A wider threat set may include land forces, hostile fires of different forms (direct and indirect), lighter-than-air threats, guided munitions or drone swarms.[/wlm_ismember]

[wlm_nonmember]Subscribe to Defense-Update to read the full version of this article[/wlm_nonmember]

Dov Sella, RADA CEO, commented, “in recent years RADA has taken a leading role in the new and emerging market of tactical radars for the maneuver force, introducing software-defined radar platforms, showing a superior performance-to-price ratio and extreme maturity in battlefield conditions. This was achieved through anticipation of market needs and heavy investment in R&D efforts. We are committed to maintaining and further building our leadership in the market segments of APS/VPS and MSHORAD, as demonstrated by the introduction of these cutting-edge new radar platforms and additional ongoing new developments”.