SOURCE: IDRW.ORG
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) have initiated a groundbreaking project to develop an advanced anti-stealth radar system designed to detect and track low Radar Cross Section (RCS) targets, enhancing India’s air defense capabilities. This new radar leverages Gallium Nitride (GaN) Transmit-Receive Modules (TRMs), offering superior performance over traditional systems, and is poised to become a critical asset in countering stealth threats.
The new radar system combines VHF (Very High Frequency) radar with a high-power radar configuration, enabling it to effectively detect and track stealth targets that are typically designed to evade conventional radar systems. The radar boasts an impressive range of 400 km and can simultaneously track up to 100 targets with high accuracy. This capability is crucial for providing early warning and generating precise firing solutions against low RCS targets, such as stealth aircraft and drones, which pose a significant challenge to modern air defense networks.
The use of GaN TRMs enhances the radar’s efficiency, power output, and thermal management compared to older Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) modules. GaN technology allows for higher power density, improved reliability, and better performance in electronically contested environments, making the radar more resilient to jamming and interference.
The system’s design, as depicted in technical schematics, includes key components such as:
- Radome: Houses the radar arrays for protection and aerodynamic efficiency.
- IFF Radar: Integrated Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) system for distinguishing between friendly and hostile targets.
- Communication Tower: Ensures seamless data transmission for network-centric operations.
- Power Systems: Provide the necessary energy to sustain high-power radar operations.
- Cooling Units: Manage heat dissipation, critical for GaN TRMs, with two Active Antenna Array Units (AAAU) handling 1 and 2 out of 4 configurations.
- Lightning Arrester: Protects the system from environmental hazards.
This combination of VHF and high-power radar technologies enables the system to detect stealth targets by exploiting their vulnerabilities at lower frequency bands while maintaining the precision needed for targeting through high-power tracking.
The development of this anti-stealth radar comes at a time when stealth technology is increasingly prevalent in modern warfare, with adversaries deploying advanced low-observable platforms. The radar’s ability to provide a firing solution against such targets strengthens India’s air defense architecture, particularly along its contested borders.
To maximize its effectiveness, experts emphasize the need for a networked deployment of these radars. A distributed network of anti-stealth radars would create overlapping coverage zones, ensuring comprehensive surveillance and reducing blind spots. This network-centric approach would enable real-time data sharing with other defense systems, such as surface-to-air missile (SAM) batteries and fighter aircraft, facilitating rapid response to incoming threats.
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