RADA’s MHR Radars Selected by Leonardo DRS
RADA Electronic Industries Ltd. announced on 3 July that its Multi-mission Hemispheric Radar (MHR) was down-selected as part of the Leonardo DRS mission equipment package (MEP) solution for the US Army’s Initial Maneuver-Short Range Air Defense (IM-SHORAD) capability.
The army already decided the system would be developeed around its STRYKER combat vehicle, by General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS), and has now chosen Leonardo DRS to supply a mission equipment package that will include Raytheon’s STINGER vehicle missile launcher, according to the US Army’s Program Executive Office (PEO) Missiles and Space.
DRS is in negotiations with the US Army for this prototype contract, which should be awarded in August 2018.
The MHR radar, when integrated on the STRYKER A1 platform, meets the army’s on-board sensor requirements and provides 360 degree aerial surveillance to detect and track unmanned aerial systems (UAS), rotary wing and fixed wing threats at desired ranges. Each IM-SHORAD MEP includes four MHR radars to provide persistent surveillance, execute at the short-halt and operate on-the-move.
This accelerated IM-SHORAD prototype effort requires systems be delivered in early 2019. Nine prototype systems will inform a future production decision for more than 140 systems beginning in 2020.
“We are proud to be selected for this important US Army programme,” Dov Sella, RADA’s CEO, commented. “This selection demonstrates the extensibility and adaptability of RADA’s highly advanced AESA, software-defined radars into multi-purpose, mission critical applications. Further the recent establishment of our US joint venture, RADA Technologies LLC, will allow us to provide optimal programme performance to this customer. The MHR selection substantiates our strategic investments in continuous product development and efforts to transition and manufacture products in the US.”
The MHR family provides advanced force and border protection solutions. Based on a true AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array) antenna, the MHR can be integrated with any C4I system and other radars/sensors using its standard Ethernet interfaces, and can operate stand-alone or as part of a large-scale surveillance system. Operating in the S-band frequency range (2-4GHz), provides tracking at a radius of approx. five kilometres.
