RL-3D — a family of 3D radars for air defence

Radars from this family can carry out two very different roles that are extremely important for air defence. They can work as surveillance, where they simply provide an image of the air situation, but they can also work in fire control mode, where they provide specific weapons with the specific coordinates of targets to be destroyed. These coordinates can be sent to guided missiles while in flight, thus correcting their course. This is ensured by the particular radar’s AESA antenna and SW technology. Here the radar can change its radiation characteristics as needs be and adapt its parameters to the selected mode.

In fire control mode, the radar’s properties are optimized to detect small and low-flying targets such as drones, UAVs or ballistic missiles.

The technology used by this family of radars allows customer solutions to be tailored to different customer requirements and to the assumed deployment environment. Full integration into existing ground defence structures is a matter of course.

Although the radars are designed for full mobility, they can also be stationary to take full advantage of different geographical locations.

The smaller radars from this family, with a shorter range, can thus serve as a “gap filler” to cover an area that the main radar cannot due to geographical obstacles.

RL-3D radars operate in frequency band S. The main part of the radar, the radar head, consists of a series antenna, the individual horizontal elements of which are powered by individual TR modules. The antenna enables full monopulse signal processing and the use of TR modules ensures the radar properties only degrade slightly if there is a failure of one of them. As the radar head rotates, the radiation beam sweeps up to determine the height of the target, rotation then determines its azimuth. Complete signal processing and digitization at the intermediate frequency level takes place in the radar head. All further processing is done digitally and the output data is then transmitted over an optical cable. Software-defined radar technology means the user’s radar capabilities can be further developed with no need for hardware interventions.

The intuitive graphical user interface gives the operator control of the radar, a display of the air situation and a display of diagnostic information. The radar can provide a surveillance situation and/or can be equipped with a communication module and a C2 module (Command & Control) to support air defence systems. The radar can simultaneously transmit data to the superior Command Control Post (CCP) and to the subordinate GBAD systems.