The IDF Ground Forces Command is developing a miniature radar system that would link ground troops directly to UAS operations.
IDF battalions and brigades rely on unmanned aircraft as well as some electro-optic land systems for reconnaissance missions, but they are not equipped with radars, due to their relatively high cost and large size.
The Ground Forces Command has contacted local defence contractors in a bid to develop a small radar with a range of just a few kilometers that weighs no more than 20 kilograms and can be carried on a soldier’s back.
The radars would be used by reconnaissance squads in infantry and armoured battalions that would deploy them ahead of the main force and search for enemy forces. The data the radar provided would then be transferred back to the battalion’s command post where commanders could automatically dispatch UAS to provide live footage of the suspected enemy force. “This would enable forces to accurately see who is coming and immediately engage enemy targets,” a senior officer from the Ground Forces Command explained.
The IDF uses two UAS for its ground forces. Elbit’s Skylark I is used for battalions as part of the Sky Rider Program, which saw the deployment of a UAS in every infantry battalion, as well as the Skylark II, which recently underwent evaluations along the border with Egypt ahead of its delivery to IDF brigades.
Source: The Jerusalem Post