Rheinmetall Air Defence and Hensoldt have integrated passive sensor technology into an air defence system during a German Air Force exercise. The air picture generated by Hensoldt’s Twinvis passive radar was successfully integrated into Rheinmetall’s Skymaster command and weapon engagement system, which was directing the Skynex Air Defence battery deployed in the scenario. The integration took place under realistic NATO networking conditions.
Rheinmetall said the exercise provided a foundation for the integration into stationary Skynex systems, mobile Skyranger solutions and modern counter-UAS systems such as the Skyspotter.
During the exercise, a common air picture was generated by fusing and correlating sensor data within NATO’s Link 16 network. Rheinmetall said that the Hensoldt passive radar demonstrated excellent performance in detecting and tracking air targets. Twinvis is a passive radar based on digital technology that can be used for wide-area military airspace surveillance or civil air traffic control. Meanwhile, Skymaster is able to combine active and passive radar sensors with electro-optical sensors into a comprehensive air picture within the air defence network.
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Image: Hensoldt
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