STONewsArchive: New STO research sheds light on DMPAR systems in military scenarios
Title:
New STO research sheds light on DMPAR systems in military scenarios
Start_Publishing:
22/07/2022
Panel_Page:
SET
Page_ID:
3885
Main_Body_Multi:
TG Start Date: 03.2018 - End date: 03.2022
In March 2022, a Research Task Group (RTG) in the Sensors and Electronic Technologies (SET) Panel successfully completed an activity aimed at helping military organisations to optimise their use of Deployable Multiband Passive Active Radar (DMPAR) systems. Results from the activity (SET-258) will help military forces in developing guidelines for optimizing DMPAR resources for surveillance coverage and target localization. The activity was carried out as part of the Collaborative Programme of Work of the NATO Science and Technology Organization (STO).
DMPAR systems can be used to detect and track air targets. A DMPAR system encompasses several co-operating sensor sites and modalities, supported by illuminator transmitters, and communication infrastructure. Unlike many current radar systems, DMPAR can leverage many radar sensors operating actively and passively in different bands, thereby allowing for significantly extended detection ranges. This also allows DMPAR systems to “fill the gaps” of more conventional active radars, and enables the detection of low-altitude and low-radar cross section targets – including in operations against stealth targets.
SET-258, which began in 2018, aimed to investigate how DMPAR systems could be deployed in military scenarios, and how various factors – including the properties of component sensors, different environments, and different data and signal distribution requirements – affect the performance of DMPAR processing.
Specifically, the RTG sought to carry out:
Tools validation for the deployment of DMPAR systems in military scenarios, while optimising performance based on defined metrics;
Performance analysis of DMPAR in co- and dislocated configurations, for deployment and assessment in military scenarios; and
Data registration for deeper analysis and DMPAR processing for data fusion, target detection, localisation, and tracking.
To achieve these goals, the group members organised a joint trial (SET-242/RTG) on passive coherent locators on mobile platforms. This trial aimed to validate the concept of using a DMPAR system in a military scenario, with the support of passive radar sensors developed by PIT-RADWAR SA, HENSOLDT, Armasuisse and Warsaw University of Technology. The trial held under the code name APART-GAS (Active PAssive Radar Trials – Ground-based, Airborne, Sea-borne), took place in Poland from 3-13 September 2019. It was attended by more than 70 participants from seven NATO countries – Poland, Germany, Norway, Turkey, Finland, USA and Lithuania – as well as three countries in the NATO Partnership for Peace (PfP) Programme (Switzerland, Sweden and Australia).
When the trial began, the RTG used FM, DAB and DVB-T broadcast transmitters as illuminators of opportunity (IOs). They also leveraged active radars operated by the Polish Armed Forces, as well as a passive emitter tracker (PET) system from the TUBITAK. The active and passive radars were deployed at several locations across northwest of Poland, with active and passive radar demonstrators (which are the part of DMPAR system) at a maximum distance of around 70 km between sensors. Altogether, the area comprised a box of approximately 200x200 km, according to the trial restrictions and research assumptions.
Individual subsystems of the test DMPAR system registered data, while sensors carried out real-time data aggregation. This marks the first time that real-time detections were carried out by individual active-passive subsystems, with all collected information aggregated and displayed in one node of the DMPAR network. The milRAXA recorder operated by the Air Force Institute of Technology (ITWL, Poland) was used for the purpose of data aggregation.
These trials resulted in the creation of a unique database of recordings from the network of active and passive radars deployed on terrestrial, marine and air platforms. The APART-GAS campaign also gained significant experience in the practical coordination of passive sensors and active radars operating for armed forces. This included developing procedures for connecting both subsystems, and applying network gateways (software firewalls) for secure and fully controlled data transmission between active radars and passive sensors. Military users also had the opportunity to assess the advantages and preliminary capabilities of the passive radiolocation, and to compare it to the radar information provided by operating active sensors. The close collaboration and mutual support of participating Nations played a critical role in the trial’s success.
In addition to analysing the strengths and challenges of different deployments of active/passive radars in several military scenarios, the final report of SET-258 RTG provides military forces and industrial users with the basic information they would need to formulate technical and performance requirements for launching industrial commercial programs for DMPAR processing units. The report’s findings also enable users to start specifying the rules of operational use in various scenarios and environmental conditions.
Page_Intro:
In March 2022, a Research Task Group (RTG) in the Sensors and Electronic Technologies (SET) Panel successfully completed an activity aimed at helping military organisations to optimise their use of Deployable Multiband Passive Active Radar (DMPAR) systems. Results from the activity (SET-258) will help military forces in developing guidelines for optimizing DMPAR resources for surveillance coverage and target localization. The activity was carried out as part of the Collaborative Programme of Work of the NATO Science and Technology Organization (STO).
HomePageImage:
SET-258.png
HomePageBodyText:
New STO SET-258/RTG research sheds light on Deployable Multiband Passive Active Radar (DMPAR) systems in military scenarios
TG Start Date: 03.2018 - End date: 03.2022
In March 2022, a Research Task Group (RTG) in the Sensors and Electronic Technologies (SET) Panel successfully completed an activity aimed at helping military organisations to optimise their use of Deployable Multiband Passive Active Radar (DMPAR) systems. Results from the activity (SET-258) will help military forces in developing guidelines for optimizing DMPAR resources for surveillance coverage and target localization. The activity was carried out as part of the Collaborative Programme of Work of the NATO Science and Technology Organization (STO).
DMPAR systems can be used to detect and track air targets. A DMPAR system encompasses several co-operating sensor sites and modalities, supported by illuminator transmitters, and communication infrastructure. Unlike many current radar systems, DMPAR can leverage many radar sensors operating actively and passively in different bands, thereby allowing for significantly extended detection ranges. This also allows DMPAR systems to “fill the gaps” of more conventional active radars, and enables the detection of low-altitude and low-radar cross section targets – including in operations against stealth targets.
SET-258, which began in 2018, aimed to investigate how DMPAR systems could be deployed in military scenarios, and how various factors – including the properties of component sensors, different environments, and different data and signal distribution requirements – affect the performance of DMPAR processing.
Specifically, the RTG sought to carry out:
Tools validation for the deployment of DMPAR systems in military scenarios, while optimising performance based on defined metrics;
Performance analysis of DMPAR in co- and dislocated configurations, for deployment and assessment in military scenarios; and
Data registration for deeper analysis and DMPAR processing for data fusion, target detection, localisation, and tracking.
To achieve these goals, the group members organised a joint trial (SET-242/RTG) on passive coherent locators on mobile platforms. This trial aimed to validate the concept of using a DMPAR system in a military scenario, with the support of passive radar sensors developed by PIT-RADWAR SA, HENSOLDT, Armasuisse and Warsaw University of Technology. The trial held under the code name APART-GAS (Active PAssive Radar Trials – Ground-based, Airborne, Sea-borne), took place in Poland from 3-13 September 2019. It was attended by more than 70 participants from seven NATO countries – Poland, Germany, Norway, Turkey, Finland, USA and Lithuania – as well as three countries in the NATO Partnership for Peace (PfP) Programme (Switzerland, Sweden and Australia).
When the trial began, the RTG used FM, DAB and DVB-T broadcast transmitters as illuminators of opportunity (IOs). They also leveraged active radars operated by the Polish Armed Forces, as well as a passive emitter tracker (PET) system from the TUBITAK. The active and passive radars were deployed at several locations across northwest of Poland, with active and passive radar demonstrators (which are the part of DMPAR system) at a maximum distance of around 70 km between sensors. Altogether, the area comprised a box of approximately 200x200 km, according to the trial restrictions and research assumptions.
Left: DMPAR concept. Right: photos of the passive radar deployment during APART-GAS trials.
Individual subsystems of the test DMPAR system registered data, while sensors carried out real-time data aggregation. This marks the first time that real-time detections were carried out by individual active-passive subsystems, with all collected information aggregated and displayed in one node of the DMPAR network. The milRAXA recorder operated by the Air Force Institute of Technology (ITWL, Poland) was used for the purpose of data aggregation.
These trials resulted in the creation of a unique database of recordings from the network of active and passive radars deployed on terrestrial, marine and air platforms. The APART-GAS campaign also gained significant experience in the practical coordination of passive sensors and active radars operating for armed forces. This included developing procedures for connecting both subsystems, and applying network gateways (software firewalls) for secure and fully controlled data transmission between active radars and passive sensors. Military users also had the opportunity to assess the advantages and preliminary capabilities of the passive radiolocation, and to compare it to the radar information provided by operating active sensors. The close collaboration and mutual support of participating Nations played a critical role in the trial’s success.
In addition to analysing the strengths and challenges of different deployments of active/passive radars in several military scenarios, the final report of SET-258 RTG provides military forces and industrial users with the basic information they would need to formulate technical and performance requirements for launching industrial commercial programs for DMPAR processing units. The report’s findings also enable users to start specifying the rules of operational use in various scenarios and environmental conditions.
Created at 22/07/2022 10:52 by ad.rodes
Last modified at 22/07/2022 13:36 by ad.rodes
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