Realization of a scalable airborne radar

Abstract

Modern airborne ground surveillance radar systems are increasingly based on active electronically scanned array (AESA) antennas. Efficient use of array technology and the need for radar solutions for various airborne platforms, manned and unmanned, leads to the design of scalable radar systems. The design and realisation of such a system is described. At the core of the design is a new generation of transmit-receive modules, developed and used also for naval radar systems. The radar architecture is largely based on the miniSAR system, which is close to completion. Design aspects are discussed for various envisaged versions of the scalable radar.