Insitu, GKN Aerospace and TNO team up to develop advanced radar system for Integrator UAS.

Responding to increasing needs for operational flexibility in the defense industry, Insitu, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Boeing Company, GKN Aerospace and TNO have jointly developed a distinctive multifunction imaging radar system for the Integrator Unmanned Aerial System (UAS).

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Integrator (Picture source: Insitu)

The system is based on TNO’s AMBER, Affordable Multi-BEam Radar technology, and combines in real time simultaneously several ISR functions, including Zoom Synthetic Aperture Radar (ZSAR), Ground Moving Target Indication (GMTI) and Maritime capabilities, into the M-RaISR, Multi-mission Radar Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance system. It is the first system in the market to offer this range of capabilities operated through a single payload radar system.

This development marks the latest milestone in a key collaboration between the companies, in combination with The Netherlands Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy that began in 2018 to support Dutch industry while enabling Insitu to offer flexible and multifunctional capabilities to a wide variety of customers. The AMBER technology is being developed by TNO, the Netherlands organization for applied scientific research. The Netherlands MoD awarded the Short Range Tactical UAV (SRTUAV) contract to Insitu, acquiring three Insitu Integrator systems in 2017, and is the potential end user.

“For our global Defense customers, operational flexibility is critical,” said Curt Chesnutt, VP of Global Growth for Insitu. “This important collaboration demonstrates how continued innovation with allied partners will help us meet the changing demands of the future battlespace.”

Michiel van der Maat, VP of Defense Business Development at GKN Aerospace said, “We are proud to be part of team M-RaISR and we are looking forward to continuing our collaboration with TNO and Insitu. It is very exciting that our cutting-edge technology is now successfully integrated in this state-of-the-art multifunction imaging radar system for UAV’s. The Dutch ecosystem has once again proven to be an important innovation driver for the Aerospace and Defense sector.”

“TNO Defense Security and Safety as a major knowledge partner of the Netherlands MoD is happy to see that this important development is finding its way to our MoD via third parties” said Kemo Agovic, TNO’s Director of Information and Sensor Systems. “And this is a perfect example of our role as technology provider for Dutch industry as well.”

Dimitri van Rijn, Deputy Commissioner of Military Production at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy, noted that “This development is an excellent showcase of how our Industrial Participation policy supports strategic projects of common interest. Together with the OEM (Insitu), the Netherlands Defense Industrial and Technological Base develops state-of-the-art technology that our MoD may ultimately access to in order to protect our national security interests.”