Thanks to Eeben for sending me this one. I really like these technologies because they have the potential to save lives. It would also help to defeat the very simple weapon system called the rocket launcher (like the RPG), which is in use by many of today’s forces throughout the world. These systems can also be used to locate and neutralize teams that are attacking the vehicle. It is all about minimizing the effectiveness of the very low cost weapon systems being used by combatants throughout the world.
Now could we ever see a day where private industry would have the financing necessary to buy these systems and put them on their armored transports? Maybe. The cost and effectiveness would be factors. It is definitely something that should be presented to potential customers as a way to supplement the defense of their personnel and facilities. Imagine an LEDS 300 system on a tower or on a Casspir/MRAP?
Currently, I know the military sports all types of sensors on vehicles these days, but the pinnacle of these types of systems is their ability to zap RPG’s in mid-air and destroy that stuff in a way that doesn’t hurt the dismounted troops nearby. With an ultra-fast radar detection system, it will give the other systems on the vehicle time to make decisions and arm/launch whatever munitions is required. Hence why the RRS news is key here. I believe there are multiple countries trying to achieve the same goal with these systems, and I hope they are able to effectively accomplish the task. –Matt
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The CV90 sporting LEDS 150. Note the staring array radars at the front corners and the two high speed directed launchers containing multispectrals smoke and Mongoose missiles to the rear of the remote weapon station.
Reutech staring array radar takes LEDS to new level
06 October 2010
By Leon Engelbrecht
Reutech Radar Systems (RRS) says its new frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) staring array radar can detect a rocket propelled grenade (RPG) launch within 5.2 milliseconds (ms) and can provide an accurate track within 14.3ms. A millisecond is 1000th of a second and a RPG, fired at 20 metres, takes roughly 187 to impact.
Similar staring array technology forms the core of the radar systems supporting the US Navy’s Aegis and the US Army’s Patriot air defence complexes.The cost of developing this technology in South Africa is not known, but RRS was awarded a R643 970 contract in July “to demonstrate a frequency modulated continuous wave ranging radar concept.” RRS last month said it has been working on staring arrays for the “past three years.”
Colonel Cobus van der Merwe (Retired), SAAB Electronic Defense Systems’ Product Manager for Land Self-Protection Systems told a recent precision weapons solutions conference that with the radar his company’s Land Electronic Defense Systems (LEDS) can detect a RPG within 5ms and calculate whether the RPG will hit or miss the carrier vehicle within a further 10ms. The active defence controller then determines the validity of the threat within a further 10ms before taking less than 50ms to compute an intercept. It then takes 10ms to launch and a further 50ms for the “effects deployment”.
RRS’ Peter Bradshaw in a separate presentation at the South African Precision Weapon Solutions Conference held at the Africa Aerospace and Defence (AAD) exhibition in Cape Town two weeks ago, added that 5.2ms for first detection amounted to a “worst-case scenario” for the radar. He added that once detected and confirmed, track updates were given every 1.3ms.