On passive surveillance systems and multi-sensor tracking capabilities for ground-based air defence systems

Diehl Defence has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ERA, a member of OMNIPOL group, on the cooperation in the field of passive sensors and multi-sensor tracking capabilities for Diehl Defence ground-based air defence systems. ERA, based in the Czech Republic, is a leading company in multilateration, multistatic and reconnaissance technology with unrivalled experience in passive surveillance sensor development.

On the occasion of the ILA Airshow, taking place in Berlin (Germany) this week, Helmut Rauch (CEO Diehl Defence) signed the MoU together with Ondřej Chlost (CEO and Chairman of Board of Directors ERA) in the presence of the Czech and German National Armaments Directors Lubor Koudelka and Vice Admiral Carsten Stawitzki during a ceremony at the show.

The MoU foresees the intention of both companies to complement the Diehl Defence GBAD systems, primarily IRIS-T SLM, with ERA’s world-leading Passive ESM Tracker (PET). An access to another ERA product, Multi Sensor Tracker (MST), will allow the real-time data fusion of active and passive sensors.

GBAD is one of the battle proven PET´s use-case. Thanks to supremacy in real-time detection, tracking and identification of airborne targets (e.g. fast movers, UAVs), a passive sensor plays a vital role in complementing active sensors in GBAD, otherwise vulnerable in electronic warfare.

The availability of ERA components in the modular IRIS-T SLM architecture will offer customer nations additional options for their individual system configurations, providing Diehl Defence with a wider market potential. Also as part of the MoU, both companies will assist each other in marketing efforts with multi-sensor capable and passive-sensor enabled GBAD systems.

The availability of additional passive surveillance system options will be of particular interest to nations, which participate in the European Sky Shield Initiative (ESSI). ESSI was launched by the German government in August 2022 in order to enhance air defence capabilities of participating European countries.

During the ongoing ILA Airshow in Berlin, ERA personnel is co-staffing the Diehl Defence display of GBAD systems in the Defence Park on the event premises. Here ERA representatives are performing tasks in the Tactical Operations Center (TOC) of an IRIS-T SLM fire unit, showcasing the integration of Passive ESM Tracker (PET) and Multi Sensor Tracker (MST) from ERA into the Diehl Defence GBAD system simulation.