TSAMTO, August 20. Israeli ELTA Systems (a subsidiary of Israel Aerospace Industries) is developing new versions of ground-based AFAR radars with electronic scanning, designed to combat changing threats, including swarms of UAVs and hypersonic missiles.
As reported by Monch.com with reference to the statement of the company's representative, the possibility of detecting a swarm of UAVs has already been proven, and technical solutions for detecting hypersonic air targets are under development. Representatives of the company confirmed that the project uses the patented AFAR technology with electronic scanning, which allows special versions of the radar to detect both types of targets. According to the company, it has developed structural elements that allow adapting the existing radar to protect against promising threats.
Currently, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) offers on the market a system for countering unmanned aerial vehicles ELI-4030 "Drone Guard" (Drone Guard), which includes a three-coordinate X – band radar, a radio intelligence system (COMINT) and a high-resolution EO/IR system, and a multi-channel jamming system for neutralizing threats. The company claims that this comprehensive solution provides protection for stationary objects and troops on the march. Drone Guard allows you to detect UAVs and block communication and navigation channels without compromising communication at nearby civilian facilities.
Israel identified the threat posed by armed UAVs at an early stage and developed several systems to protect against it. In particular, the Houthi rebels ' attack on Saudi Arabia's oil facilities in 2019 was carried out with the help of missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles. The presence of a threat to Israel, confirmed by numerous attempts to strike with the use of armed UAVs, forced everyone to start deploying appropriate means of counteraction. Many Israeli companies claim to be developing solutions to detect, neutralize and/or destroy armed UAVs that distinguish them from more traditional aerial threats, such as missiles and combat aircraft.
Hypersonic missiles have also already appeared in the Middle East. Two months ago, the media reported on the successful test launch of a Dagger missile from a MiG-31 that took off from the Hmeimim air base in Syria, at a virtual target in the Mediterranean Sea. The launch range of the X-47M2 "Dagger" is 2000 km, the speed is up to 10M.
