Military Technology 05/2021

Industrial Focus MT 5/2021· 83 is passed to the S-band radar – after verification – for extremely ac- curate tracking and target acquisition for air defence systems. TERRA also provides accurate impact and launch point estimation. The flexi- ble system features highly evolved resource management and advanced ECCM capabilities. In addition to the detection of military threats, TERRA is also adept at detecting, monitoring and mapping satellites and space debris. ELTA also offers a range of radar systems to suit varied requirements. For example, the SPECTRA360 (ELM-2093) is a dual-mission S-band system for both air surveillance and missile defence. Its advanced de- sign provides high accuracy and fast update rates to perform concurrent search with dedicated track beam. The radar can also acquire targets through external cueing from the C2 system. It incorporates AESA tech- nology based on proprietary Gallium Nitride (GaN) RF modules. Additionally, ELTA offers advanced aerostat systems, integrating per- sistent, look-down early warning radars with ELINT and IFF systems. Mounted on TCOM aerostats, the ELM-2083 family employs 3-D, multiple beam, Doppler, AESA radar and passive sensors to cover large sectors of airspace, employing proprietary algorithms to neutralise ground clutter, deal with highly saturated target scenarios, and ensure low false alarm rates. They are especially valuable over rugged mountainous terrain, where terrestrial sensors are seriously challenged. In summary, ELTA offers a comprehensive range of advanced radar systems to detect, track and classify the most sophisticated airborne threats – current and future – and deliver significantly increased warning time, even against low flying targets. ELTA’s operationally proven radars incorporate the latest technologies and techniques, including advanced algorithms, to offer class leading performance at highly competitive costs, and deliver decisive advantages: better awareness; better efficiency; and better survivability. IAI/ELTA Air Defence Radar Solutions As the range of airborne threats, strategic and tactical, grows, so, too, do the innovative defensive solutions developed by Israeli Aerospace Industries’ (IAI) ELTA division. Fast, low-flying attack aircraft, medium- and long-range ballistic missiles, or UAS with low radar cross-sections (RCS) – all difficult targets to detect, track and prosecute. With the pace of development, it is hardly surprising that the highly coordinated and accurate attack on Middle Eastern oil facilities in 2019, employing both cruise missiles and suicide drones, exposed serious gaps in the capabilities of current early warning and ground-based air defence systems - far beyond any reservations regarding operator readiness and competency. Legacy air defence sensors are often inadequate and, in some cases, even obsolete. High performance radar systems, which pro- vide comprehensive coverage and early detection, employing high speed computer intelligence to support efficient and timely reaction, are needed to cope with the new reality. To answer current and future airborne challenges ELTA Systems offers a wide spectrum of advanced solutions. Its radar systems, recognized globally since 1967, are an integral component of leading air defence and surveillance systems, including antiballistic missile solutions deployed by major regional powers, and the combat proven IRON DOME system. ELTA is a pioneer in the design and implementation of Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, a technology used extensive- ly in a range of systems designed to provide comprehensive protection against ballistic missiles and air breathing targets. Examples include the unique ELM-2090 TERRA, a strategic early warning dual-band radar ef- fective against long range, low RCS targets. TERRA fuses the ELM-2090U UHF ULTRA and ELM-2090S SPECTRA S-band radars into a reliable, sustainable unified system to deliver optimised detection and tracking performance. Searching for and de- tecting targets at very long range using UHF-band radar, tracking data ELTA’s TERRA radar system. (Photo: IAI)