UAV Sales Lead to Competition for New Radars

UAV Sales Lead to Competition for New Radars

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The fast growing use of medium-altitude UAS has created competition to sell the radars they carry. Meanwhile, demand is increasing for a fuller range of UAS radar capabilities, notably maritime surveillance.

MQ-9. Illustration photo: General Atomics
MQ-9. Illustration photo: General Atomics

A recent example of an air force wanting more out of its UAV radar is in Italy, where generals decided last month to dispatch their unarmed MQ-9 UAS — which have flown in Afghanistan — to join the search for fishing boats carrying migrants in the Mediterranean after a number of vessels sank, drowning hundreds.

Working fast, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, the US maker of the MQ-9, began testing the software addition needed to give the Italian MQ-9’s Lynx Block 30 radar a maritime capability.

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iHLS – Israel Homeland Security

According to Defense News a June report by the Teal Group stated that spending on UAV radars would total US $496 million this year, rising to $1.28 billion in 2022. Much of that spending will go toward the U.S. multiplatform radar technology insertion program for the Global Hawk UAV, including $453 million to be spent on the program in 2017, about half the global figure for that year.

Elta, the Israel aerospace industries (IAI) subsidiary, is manufacturing some of the most advanced airborne radars including for UAS.