27 February 2004 – New possibilities of reconnaissance and surveillance in the fields of defence and security offers the newly developed miniature radar MiSAR, that EADS successfully tested on board a German Armed Forces “Luna” reconnaissance drone during a flight demonstration in the Baumholder military training area.
As announced by EADS Defence Electronics (DE) on Friday, the miniature radar proved its reliability by supplying reconnaissance images in all-weather, high-resolution SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) technology in real time during the demonstration. “This means we have proved that SAR technology can also be used on a relatively light platform for military tactical reconnaissance as well as for police surveillance or for monitoring the environment,” explained Johann Heitzmann, President and CEO of EADS Defence Electronics.
SAR radar systems supply extremely precise, three-dimensional images by day and night and regardless of the weather. This is not possible with any other sensor technology. On account of their size and weight of at least 30 kg, these radar systems previously required platforms with a relatively high load-bearing capacity and a lot of payload space. This meant that there was no way of taking advantage of the benefits offered by SAR technology for obtaining precise real-time images for tactical military missions or time-critical security purposes. This is now possible thanks to MiSAR, which ranges in a class of weight substantially below 10 kg.
“Luna” is a reconnaissance drone manufactured by the German company EMT for detecting and identifying objects located on the ground. It has a range of approximately 80 kilometres.
As the Sensor and Avionics House of EADS, the Defence Electronics Business Unit integrates radar and electronic warfare technologies for all platforms used by armed forces and security forces around the world. Furthermore, the Business Unit develops and produces avionics systems for aircraft and helicopters as well as electronics for ground-based defence systems, armoured vehicles and vessels. Amongst other projects, DE is involved in equipping the Eurofighter, the A400M transport aircraft, the NH90 helicopter and the EuroHawk unmanned reconnaissance system.