HENSOLDT innovates with its PrecISR powerful radar for airborne ISR platforms


HENSOLDT has been at the forefront of airborne radars innovation for several decades and the company has an impressive heritage when it comes to the development of next-generation sensor technology. One of the latest products that leverage this decades-long experience is PrecISR, a new generation airborne multi-mission radar that will set a new baseline for what is possible with airborne sensors.

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HENSOLDT promoting its PrecISR powerful radar for airborne ISR platforms One of the biggest innovations for PrecISR is the “front-end” antenna, which is an evolution of traditional active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar technology  (Picture source: HENSOLDT)


PrecISR gives customers cutting-edge airborne radar capabilities in a system that weighs below 58kg. That means the radar can be integrated onto a large range of aircraft, including special mission aircraft, helicopters, and even unmanned systems. It has a number of software-defined radar modes depending on the mission it is required to carry out – it can track over a thousand targets in the air, on land and at sea at the same time.

For air monitoring missions, the radar can provide airborne moving target indication (A-)MTI with speed and direction data, especially for low-flying targets that may be trying to evade detection. The data from the radar can then be cross-referenced with other sensors and data, including ADS-B and EO/IR imagery.

In the maritime domain, PrecISR can carry out maritime moving target indication (M-)MTI to build a situational picture of the water below. Using the Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar (ISAR) and Range Profiling (RP) modes, the radar provides an image of a vessel as well as information on its length – even if the aircraft is a hundred kilometers away. This information can be cross-referenced with additional data from tracking systems such as Automatic Identification Systems (AIS).

PrecISR can also provide ground-moving target indication (G-)MTI, relaying data about multiple moving objects over a large area. The radar can also be used for high-resolution (0.3m) SAR imagery for reconnaissance missions in both a strip and spot mode.

One of the biggest innovations for PrecISR is the “front-end” antenna, which is an evolution of traditional active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar technology. HENSOLDT’s PrecISR antenna uses what is known as a tile-array architecture, which sees high-density transmit/receive (T/R) elements mounted directly onto a printed circuit board (PCB). The PCB incorporates all the radiofrequency (RF) microwave components, and unlike legacy AESA radars, does not require the addition of bulky cabling and equipment.

Designed for a wide range of airborne platforms (UAVs, helicopters, fixed wing and special mission aircraft), PrecISR™ is the ISR sensor of choice for armed and security forces for SAR and ISAR imaging, to mitigate human and drug trafficking, piracy and smuggling, illegal fishing, terrorism, oil dumping or any other environmental threat.