Low-Altitude Surveillance Radar
The wide-area watchkeeper. X-band active electronically scanned array radar designed for the awkward targets — slow, small, low-flying — that trip up conventional air-surveillance sets. It finds the target; electro-optics then identifies it.
Why a dedicated LSS radar
Conventional radar is built for aircraft: fast, large, high. Low-slow-small drones sit in its blind zone — tiny radar cross-sections (a 35 cm multirotor is on the order of 0.01 m²), ground clutter, and speeds so low they are filtered out as birds or noise. A dedicated LSS radar inverts those filters: micro-Doppler processing keeps slow hoverers, adaptive clutter maps handle ground return, and 3-second full-volume refresh keeps track continuity on maneuvering targets.
In an integrated architecture the radar is the cueing backbone: it sweeps the entire protected volume continuously, hands coordinates to EO/IR and RF sensors, and keeps a radar track as the identity layer does its work. Standard Ethernet output drops directly into the command layer.
Principle: how a surveillance radar detects a small drone
A transmitted pulse meets the airframe, a fraction of the energy returns as an echo, and the radar turns delay + direction into a track. Detection — the foundation of everything else on this site.
Array radar — parameters
| Frequency band | X-band, 9.2–9.8 GHz |
|---|---|
| Detection range | 10 km (target RCS 0.01 m²) |
| Speed window | 0.2–100 m/s (slow/hovering targets retained) |
| Refresh rate | Search 3 s; track 0.2 s |
| Coverage | Azimuth 0–360°, elevation −5°…+50° |
| Accuracy | Range ≤5 m; azimuth ≤0.3°; elevation ≤0.3° (RMS) |
| Target capacity | ≥512 concurrent tracks |
| Operating temperature | −40…+60 °C |
Radar FAQ
Can radar alone identify a drone?
No — radar plots are points with kinematics, not identities. Birds, drones and light aircraft can share speed and size envelopes. Identification comes from the fusion layer: RF spectrum classification, EO/IR imagery and AI. Radar's job is to find everything early and keep the track.
How does radar pair with the EO system?
Over standard Ethernet: radar sends track coordinates (az/el/range), EO turns to the cue, searches the box and auto-acquires. The radar track persists while the EO identifies, so nothing is lost in the handoff.
Sizing a radar layer for your perimeter?
Range, coverage height and clutter environment drive the layout. Send your site profile for a reasoned proposal.
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