Elta Systems, a subsidiary of Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI, Chalet 208), has revealed a new multi-sensor (MS) version of its ELM-2084 air defense radar that enables a higher rate of target detection in challenging cluttered environments.

The multi-mission radar (MMR) is used in the ubiquitous Iron Dome and David’s Sling air defense systems developed by Rafael, as well as the Barak missile series developed by IAI. It has been enhanced to include fusion across different sensors, providing a combined active and passive situational picture.   

A rise in the use of UAVs, tactical aerial weapons, cruise missiles, and ballistic rockets is challenging the effectiveness of air defense systems, the company said. Thus, it added, these defense systems now have to be more accurate, have faster update rates, and be more adept at identifying potential threats, which the new MMR-MS is targeting.

The S-band radar is being fused with options—including different band radars, identification friend or foe, ADS-B, passive signals intelligence, electro-optical/infrared, and launch detector sensors—and can operate effectively in cluttered environments, IAI said.  

It added that the MMR-MS can detect new types of small, low, slow, and hovering threats, and the colocation of the numerous sensors enables the system to provide a single output for this data, which can then be more simply fed into a command-and-control situational awareness picture.