Spanish contractor Indra has launched a new 2-D air defence surveillance radar under the trade name RAVEN. Operating within the I/J-band (8 to 20 GHz) frequency range, RAVEN is described as being a frequency modulated continuous wave (CW) type of equipment.
It comprises an antenna/antenna drive assembly, a dual Power PC processor, a control unit, an AMD-K6 PC operator console, an antenna mast, a Mk XII identification friend-or-foe interrogator and a radar trailer, and is designed to detect and classify aircraft flying at low and very low altitudes. It can operate as a stand-alone unit or can be linked to a command post (via cable (RS-422 interface) or bi-directional radio) or a number of weapon terminals (one-way radio).
Overall, the system has been designed to minimise its visibility to hostile electronic support systems, with proofing measures including a low radiating power value, CW functionality and state-of-the-art processing. Indra further notes that alongside its primary air defence role, RAVEN is also suitable for ground traffic control and border surveillance applications and that it forms part of its COAAAS-L anti-aircraft artillery command and control post architecture.
Here, two RAVEN radar are teamed with an engagement control unit (designated as the UCE equipment) and a terminal at each weapon site within the particular air defence network. For its part, the UCE collects and merges data coming in from the two radars, carries out a threat assessment and assigns weapons to targets. Using a combat radio network, UCE controls both its radars and assigned weapon systems via data links and if no UCE is available, the COAAAS-L's RAVEN radars can hand off data directly to the individual weapon system terminals. Other RAVEN radar system features include frequency agility, Doppler processing (fixed and moving clutter map for target classification), automatic track while scan, the use of constant false alarm rate algorithms for false alarm management and C/C++ radar processing and Ada operator console software. System range, sidelobe value, beamwidth (azimuth/elevation), power consumption/output and mean time between failure/mean time to repair are given as 20 km (instrumented), < 40 dB RMS, 1.7°/17°, 400 W/< 20 W and > 1200 h/15 minutes, respectively.