Swedish defence specialist earns three-year contract to work on prototype of system
Ericsson Microwave Systems is developing a foliage-penetrating airborne radar under an SKr800 million ($108 million) Swedish armed forces programme.
The Swedish defence electronics specialist has a three-year contract from the Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) to develop a prototype of its Coherent All Radio Band Sensing (Carabas) counter-concealment radar. The Carabas III contract follows on from the study due to finish this year.
Ericsson is not disclosing a contract value, but the work will be funded using an FMV budget of around SKr270 million a year. Ericsson expects a further tranche of funding to be released by the FMV to finance a two-year development phase leading to a pre-production prototype.
Svante Bergh, Ericsson vice-president strategic marketing, says further development could involve partnerships with other European manufacturers. Development work will integrate the system, now flying on a Rockwell Sabreliner, on to a large-cabin business jet such as the Swedish air force's Gulfstream IV testbed. Ericsson expects the final platform to be a tactical unmanned air vehicle, adds Bergh. "The system is light enough, but at the moment the [two] antennas are around 6m [20ft] long, but with advances in antenna technology, it could work on any UAV," he says.
Carabas uses VHF radio waves to penetrate foliage, vegetation and camouflage, with a coverage rate of 100km2/s (38.6 miles2/s) at an altitude of 46,000ft (14,000m).
"A number of recent events show the need for the detection of objects under trees, so VHF radar will become very important," says Bergh. There are no official competing products.
Source: Flight International