One of the things the current conflicts have taught us is that the military hardware we are used to, especially ground-based machines like tanks and troop carriers, are utterly useless when no anti-air support is around. The sky is filled with drones, loitering munitions, and other types of aerial threats. That were less the case a few years back.
Therefore, HENSOLDT optimised its SPEXER 2000 3D MkIII radar to give the soldier the best situational awareness in any mission. SPEXER 2000 supports the soldier with a multi-mission air defence solution that can keep up with a unit on the move closing out the danger of a static battle. SPEXER 2000 is the latest innovative product of the SPEXER radar family. It is HENSOLDT’s answer to the new threat scenarios, while porting the capabilities from classical threats and focusing on the detection and classification of all targets in parallel. It contributes to the local air picture and turns the classical and future threats into targets.
The new radar is pretty different from its predecessors, although the configuration, using a fixed panel AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Antenna), provides a 120° (±60°) sector electronic scanning in azimuth. However, the new radar adds a key function, a Counter-UAS capability, which made it the sensor of choice for the German Bundeswehr “Qualifizierte Fliegerabwehr” programme aiming at providing German forces with an anti-drone protection. The sensor is being integrated with Kongsberg’s Defence & Aerospace AS Protector RCWS (Remotely Controlled Weapon Station) armed with an H&K 40 mm Automatic Grenade Launcher fitted with airburst ammunition, the defensive system to be installed on a Boxer 8×8 armoured vehicle. Ten such vehicles should be acquired, to be provided to the German contingent that will be the framework element of NATO’s Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF) in 2023.
The new radar not only keeps all 2nd generation functions, adding that against UAS, but it is also much smaller and lighter. The dimensions of the X-band AESA antenna provides the same performances, are 600x500x200 mm (versus 1,000x700x200 mm), its weight being 35 kg (versus 73 kg) “And its compactness considerably favours its integration into vehicle platforms, one of the most obvious uses of the new radar.”
Today this multi-beam radar can operate from 1 to 16 pencil beams per antenna, and when operating 16 beams simultaneously it can reach a very high update rate, allowing the detection of small and fast-moving targets, among those UAS. The shortest update rate is approximately 0.3 seconds, while in slow-scan rate this goes up to approximately 7.5 seconds; while the number of beams increases the update rate it also reduces the range, therefore the maximum instrumented range, 40 km, is obtained with the single beam option, while with 16 simultaneous beams this is of 2.5 km. In perspective Hensoldt is looking at targets with even higher speeds.
As all SPEXERs, the new family product also features a very intuitive smartphone-like human-machine interface, on which the operator can see all kind of targets detected and classified by the radar, over 300 targets can be tracked in parallel, a 1 Gbit Ethernet LAN link to command and control systems being available.
About HENSOLDT
HENSOLDT is a leading company in the European defence industry with global reach. Based in Taufkirchen near Munich, the company develops complete sensor solutions for defence and security applications. As a technology leader, HENSOLDT drives the development of defence electronics and optronics and is continuously expanding its portfolio based on innovative approaches to data management, robotics and cyber security. With more than 6,400 employees, HENSOLDT achieved a turnover of 1.5 billion euros in 2021. HENSOLDT is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.
