ESR 220 Thutlwa

The ESR 220 system is a highly mobile solid state L-band 2D surveillance radar designed to provide early warning to mechanised troops in the battlefield. It is a fully autonomous armoured system with self-contained power plant packaged on a single vehicle, and is capable of being fully operational within 10 minutes of arrival at the deployment site.

The system also provides for a combined air picture derived from primary radar and IFF, as well as a Command and Control system for effective Air Defence Control operation.

A number of ESR 220’s have been delivered to the South African Army. The high mobility nature of the system, which is transported on an all-terrain 8×8 transporter, coupled to the battlefield-specific local warning sensor design, make the system a pivotal element of the South African Army Ground-based Air Defence System.

DBRXL (RSR 320)

Reutech Radar Systems has developed a 3-dimensional ground-based dual-band radar technology demonstrator which delivers world-leading performance in missile fire control applications. This demonstrator has been produced in partnership with the Department of Defence, Armscor, CSIR, Denel and the Universities of Stellenbosch and Cape Town.

The system is based on the ESR 220 Thutlwa local warning radar already in service with the SA Army Air Defence Artillery Formation, with the addition of high-accuracy 3D target detection and tracking capabilities. The suitability of the product for the support of ground-based Surface-To-Air Missiles (SAMs) was asserted in the superior tracking accuracy of aircraft under surveillance.

RTS 6400

The RTS 6400 is a 60 km instrumented-range monopulse X-band combined radar and optronics tracking system using a wide-band, high stability Travelling Wave Tube AmplIfier (TWTA) and advanced Doppler signal processing.

The system currently forms a key element of the South African Navy Valour-Class Frigates Combat Suite, for which 9 systems have been delivered into service.

The system has been produced using expertise gained in the development of the ETS 2400 short range Ka-band optronics radar tracker.

The modular nature of the design allows adaptation for alternative configurations of optronic sensor. This capability makes the system eminently suited for most naval fire control applications. Typical sensor configurations include dual field of view 3-5 µm or 8-12 µm Thermal Imaging Sensors, high repetition rate Laser Range-Finders and dual field of view daylight cameras. The system may also be supplied with or without a dedicated console.

The system is able to perform in hostile ECM environments due to a comprehensive ECCM suite.

The RTS 6400 has been fully commissioned into the SA Navy aboard the four MEKO A200-SAN Valour Class Frigates.

ETS 2400

The ETS 2400 combined optronic and radar tracking system was designed for land-based anti-aircraft artillery and missile applications. System features include: rapid reaction times, high clutter rejection, day/night operation, all-weather performance, manual and memory tracking modes, an autonomous search capability and Built-In Test Equipment (BITE). The ETS 2400 radar operates in the Ka-band (26.5 to 40 GHz).

EDR 120

The EDR 120 system is a 30 km range 2D L-band solid-state Designation Radar designed to provide designation data to a fire directing system in a layered air defence scenario. This system was very successfully demonstrated, together with the ETS 2400 tracking system, as part of the South African-developed DART air defence technology demonstrator.

ESR 3xx product range

The ESR 3xx range is a family of coherent 3D medium and long-range solid-state L-band surveillance and air defence radars. All products in this range use planar array antennas to form a number of spatially encoded beams in order to extract height information in real time.

All systems may be supplied with integral Identification Friend or Foe (IFF), as well as a comprehensive Electronic Counter Countermeasures (ECCM) suite.

ESR 360VX

The 150 km range ESR 360VX system is a 3D local warning air defence radar derived from the ESR 360L air surveillance radar delivered to the South African Air Force for evaluation in 1995. This system combines high update rate target information from primary radar and IFF to air picture management and fire control stations located within a self-contained high mobility armoured shelter.

ESR 360L

The 200 km range ESR 360L system provides accurate 3D air surveillance and Ground Control Intercept (GCI) capability to operators housed in remote display shelters. This system makes use of a solid-state distributed transmitter and receiver housed within a composite-material antenna structure. High mast height allows performance unimpeded by nearby obstructions, thereby enhancing suitability for operation in the southern African environment. This system has, since 1997, been operated in numerous trials with the South African Air Force.

Subsystems

(Signal Processor, Modkits, STAP, Antenna Housing, Rotators)

The company has developed technology in support of its products that is focused in the digital, radio-frequency, antenna, electro-mechanical and software environments. Subsystems derived from this technology have evolved into products in their own right.

Various embedded software solutions are available ranging from micro-controllers to large commercial applications using real-time operating systems such as VxWorks^TM and iRMK^TM.

Considerable success has been achieved in the development of a Software Signal Processor (SSP) application running on Commercial-Off-The-Shelf processors. These processors have wide application in both military and civil systems, and are currently in production for both Reutech products as well as integrated into other supplier’s equipment.

The RRP 200 software signal/data processor is a dual channel processor providing air surveillance capability to radar transceivers that are normally only able to detect surface targets. A large number of these processors are in service in coastal surveillance systems at various European locations.

In the radio-frequency domain, custom L-band, S-band, X-band and Ka-band components such as those for synthesisers, receivers and solid state high-power transmitters have been developed.

In the field of antennas, the company has developed an excellent capability in L-band dipole arrays, multi-beam large antenna systems, slotted waveguide arrays, reflectors and feeds for X-band and Ka / Ku-band antennas, microstrip antenna arrays as well as other custom solutions.

Heritage Products - Defence