Forget the giant, spinning antennas you might associate with military radars. Modern tech has shrunk these systems down, making them mobile and ready for action on short notice.
Saab, a European defense contractor, is at the forefront of this miniaturization with their recent revealing of the Giraffe 1X Compact Radar Module at Eurosatory, a key defense industry expo.
Unlike the massive ship-based radars we explored earlier, the Giraffe 1X is built for land-based operations and excels at short-range detection while offering crucial mobility for Ground Based Air Defence (GBAD) missions.
Clocking in at a weight similar to a large adult, the Giraffe 1X radar prioritizes mobility for airspace monitoring. This compact design, around 331 pounds, enables mounting on a variety of vehicles with sufficient load capacity.
Despite its small size, the radar offers impressive reach, meticulously scanning its entire 47-mile zone every second.
Saab, the developer, guarantees exceptional detection of diverse airborne threats, including unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) as well as artillery and mortar projectiles.
Fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft are naturally within their tracking capabilities, providing operators with real-time situational awareness through their integrated sense and warning system.