Collision-avoidance radar for UAVs gets radome upgrade
NewsJune 26, 2019
INTERNATIONAL RADAR SYMPOSIUM--ULM, Germany. Radar and sensor maker Hensoldt announced an upgrade to its collision-avoidance radar system for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs): The company says that its enhanced radome technology protects the radar from mechanical environmental influences -- such as bird strikes or lightning -- while minimally affecting the radar?s functionality.
Hensoldt is demonstrating its detect-and-avoid radar system, which uses AESA [active electronically scanned array] radar technology to detect objects in the flight path of a UAV and to give early warning of any threat of collision following precise evaluation of the flight direction. The sensors used for this purpose also can function, say company officials, as a weather radar system.
The AESA radar, say company officials, is equally suitable for military and civilian UAVs, for example, for the delivery of cargo.
This AESA radar system -- designed to replace the pilot’s visual assessment of the situation -- is built into the UAV's nose and must be protected by a radome that is electrically transparent, has exactly the same thickness across the board, and is adapted to the aerodynamics of the platform.
The upgraded radome was initially tailored to a test aircraft but can be adapted to other platforms; additional flight tests are scheduled for later this summer.
