Radar functions increase as developers shift to software and digital modules

A changeover to more digital components is enabling new, sophisticated techniques for radar.

Radar systems are evolving rapidly, using improved technology to bring new benefits. A changeover to more digital components is enabling techniques such as beam forming, which improves surveillance capabilities by letting operators focus on targets more quickly.

Leveraging the continuing advances of semiconductors also helps cut costs and reduce field failures, which will help budget-conscious military buyers justify acquisitions. In maritime applications, the ability to monitor large areas is a key advance.

“With phased-array radar, you can have multiple phases that are transmitting at the same time. You can use advanced waveforms to help cover 360 degrees,” said Adam Razavian, deputy major program manager for above water sensors at the Naval Sea Systems Command. “Beam forming is critical; it helps you cover a large area.”

Phased-array radar makes more efficient use of the radar timeline, performing multiple tasks or repeated tasks within each scan. Digital technologies help operators quickly focus in on objects of interest, even in difficult environments.

“Active electronically scanned arrays (AESA) search volumes faster and more efficiently, and offer improved revisit rates, which supports tracking, for example, of highly maneuvering targets within challenging clutter and jammer environments,” said Erik Smith, general manager of Saab Sensis Defense and Security Systems. “In the past it might have taken three scans to establish a firm track on a target, whereas the latest advances in AESA technology enables the radar to revisit the target multiple times within a single scan and thereby establish track.”

Digital Advances

Much of the progress in radar technology and performance stems from the continuing increases in microprocessors and other digital devices. Many benefits come from new technologies like digital beam forming, but they don’t come for free. Most developers feel that increasingly fast processors will let them bring even more benefits in the future.

“When you generate the beam in software, you can look everywhere at once. You can also pick your resolution,” said Pierre Poitevin, general manager of FLIR Radars. “The main drawback to digital beam forming is that it requires a significant amount of signal processing. Every year, that’s less of an issue because the CPUs (central processing units) get more powerful, up to a 12-core device where each core runs at 1 GHz.”

More benefits will come as microprocessor speeds rise. Radars will be able to perform different functions, shifting quickly to adapt to changes on the battlefield.

With faster signal processing, we can go to dual-mode scanning,” Poitevin said. “Algorithms can be configured for a fast-scan mode or a Doppler-scan mode, so you make changes like going to a faster scan rate when the ground is flat with few obstructions. You can switch modes in less than a minute.”

Most of the advances come in silicon. But in the high-frequency world of radars, gallium arsenide has been used because it’s faster than silicon. It’s now being replaced by an alternative—gallium nitride—that trims power consumption, which is a huge factor given the amount of heat generated by speedy, power-hungry chips.

“Moving to transmitters and receivers that use gallium nitride has been a big contributor to improved efficiency and lower power,” Razavian said.

He also noted that other digital devices have displaced larger analog designs. Shifting from analog circuitry, which is often called a black art, brings many benefits.

“Elemental-level digitization has helped reduce noise,” Razavian said. “The less noise there is, less effort is needed to clean up the signals.”

This helps improve costs, since recurring hardware costs decline as chips integrate more functions. The cost of software is minimal once programs have been written and fully tested.

“When we move more of the design chain into the digital world, it’s cheaper and we have more flexibility. It also improves reliability. Software is basically reliable once it’s been tested,” Poitevin said.

It’s the Economy

This focus on cost reduction is driving many changes, ranging from initial design concepts through techniques that lower operating costs. On the design side, engineers have devised techniques that make it simpler to expand systems to suit needs and budgets.

Part of this focus is on creating modules and subsystems that can be linked together to enhance coverage. This design goes well beyond electronics. The high speeds of signal processors in new systems often generate large amounts of heat, so cooling the systems is a key factor.

“Today’s radars are very scalable, which has a huge benefit for costs,” Razavian said. “You can add a module, each one in a sensor is an operating radar on its own. To add these modules without changing the cooling system, it must be designed from scratch to be scalable. The radar needs to operate at a given temperature, even when it’s grown to twice its size. If you can cool the radar efficiently, it can radiate far more power.”

Integrating multiple functions into a single system is another cost cutting avenue. When multiple radar systems are consolidated into a single system, both initial costs and field maintenance expenses can be reduced.

“The U.S. Marine Corps Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar (G/ATOR) system, for example is one where the missions of five legacy systems will now be performed by the single G/ATOR system,” Smith said.

Radar designs are also moving away from the unique components that have been common in many designs. Both the military and the overall electronics industry are moving toward hardware that shares common traits so components and modules can be designed by multiple providers.

“Open systems and open architectures with well-defined interfaces play a big role in [reducing] overall costs, they let us compete on modules instead of full systems,” Razavian said. “COTS is also a big factor in our cost-reduction efforts. When modules are repeatable, with fewer unique parts, it’s also much easier to troubleshoot and repair them.”

He also noted that the powerful processors that help design engineers provide enhanced benefits are helping personnel in the field. Newer systems regularly perform diagnostics, so systems can alert operators as soon as problems arise, even directing technicians to the faulty component.

“A major factor in lifetime costs is that systems are becoming smarter,” Razavian said. “The system tells you when there’s a problem, and it isolates it so the technician can go directly to the problem, rather than troubleshooting the entire system.”

X
This website uses cookies to enhance user experience and to analyze performance and traffic on our website. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners. Learn More / Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Accept Cookies
X
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Do Not Sell My Personal Information

When you visit our website, we store cookies on your browser to collect information. The information collected might relate to you, your preferences or your device, and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to and to provide a more personalized web experience. However, you can choose not to allow certain types of cookies, which may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings according to your preference. You cannot opt-out of our First Party Strictly Necessary Cookies as they are deployed in order to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting the cookie banner and remembering your settings, to log into your account, to redirect you when you log out, etc.). For more information about the First and Third Party Cookies used please follow this link.

Allow All Cookies

Manage Consent Preferences

Strictly Necessary Cookies - Always Active

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data, Targeting & Social Media Cookies

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act, you have the right to opt-out of the sale of your personal information to third parties. These cookies collect information for analytics and to personalize your experience with targeted ads. You may exercise your right to opt out of the sale of personal information by using this toggle switch. If you opt out we will not be able to offer you personalised ads and will not hand over your personal information to any third parties. Additionally, you may contact our legal department for further clarification about your rights as a California consumer by using this Exercise My Rights link

If you have enabled privacy controls on your browser (such as a plugin), we have to take that as a valid request to opt-out. Therefore we would not be able to track your activity through the web. This may affect our ability to personalize ads according to your preferences.

Targeting cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.

Social media cookies are set by a range of social media services that we have added to the site to enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. They are capable of tracking your browser across other sites and building up a profile of your interests. This may impact the content and messages you see on other websites you visit. If you do not allow these cookies you may not be able to use or see these sharing tools.

If you want to opt out of all of our lead reports and lists, please submit a privacy request at our Do Not Sell page.

Save Settings
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Cookie List

A cookie is a small piece of data (text file) that a website – when visited by a user – asks your browser to store on your device in order to remember information about you, such as your language preference or login information. Those cookies are set by us and called first-party cookies. We also use third-party cookies – which are cookies from a domain different than the domain of the website you are visiting – for our advertising and marketing efforts. More specifically, we use cookies and other tracking technologies for the following purposes:

Strictly Necessary Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Functional Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Performance Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Social Media Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Targeting Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.