Blighter’s A400 series counter-UAV radar enhanced to better detect low, slow and small drones

Blighter Surveillance Systems Ltd, a British designer and manufacturer of electronic-scanning (e-scan) radars and counter-drone solutions, has enhanced its Blighter A400 series counter-drone air security radar to better detect and report low, slow and small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) or drones.

The ruggedised Blighter A400 series counter-UAV radar has been optimised with the addition of 40° antennas, D3 technology and an adaptable DSP platform. Blighter engineers are also providing a software development kit to systems integrators, primes and the military to ease integration of the radar with other sensors, C2 systems, as well as with kinetic and non-kinetic disruptors.

Angus Hone, CEO, Blighter Surveillance Systems, said: “Countering the threat caused by rogue drones is now a global issue and an increasing concern for the military, government and homeland security forces across every continent. Our Blighter A400 series radars are battle proven as the detection element of the strategic counter-UAS AUDS system deployed since 2016 in Iraq by US forces and more recently at London Gatwick Airport.”

The new U40 antennas are now available to increase vertical elevation coverage from 30 to 40-degrees. Digital Drone Detection (D³) technology with sensitivity boost has also been added. This will allow the A400 series to better extract the tiny radar reflections from modern plastic bodied drones even when flying close to the ground or near buildings where clutter reflections are relatively large.

Blighter engineers have also developed an adaptable digital signal processing (DSP) platform to accommodate moving ground clutter and thereby enable the radar to be deployed ‘on the move’.

The solid-state all-weather A400 series radars are optimised for the detection of small UAVs carrying video cameras, wireless communication systems, narcotics, explosives and other undesirable payloads. The radars detect and report Nano, Micro and Miniature drones at ranges from 10 metres up to 3.6 km (2.2 miles) and larger drones and aircraft at ranges up to 10 km (6.2 miles) at speeds from full flight down to hover-drift.

Mark Radford, co-founder and chief technology officer (CTO), Blighter Surveillance Systems, said: “Our symmetric transmit/receive e-scan architecture allows pin-point focus in complex cluttered environments and its use of ‘Ku Band’ spectrum with 2cm wavelength is ideal for interaction with small drones. What’s more, our e-scan technology combined with micro-Doppler signal processing allows us to manage clutter on-the-move yet still detect low, slow and small threats in the air and on the ground.”

The Blighter A400 series radars are modular non-rotating, e-scan systems using power efficient PESA (passive electronically scanned array) and FMCW (frequency modulated continuous wave) technologies to provide reliable, small and slow drone detection even in complex environments.

Blighter radars are deployed in 35 countries to deliver round the clock all-weather protection along borders, for coastal facilities, at military bases, and to guard critical national infrastructure such as airports, oil and gas facilities and palaces.