OVERVIEW
In today’s volatile world, organizations responsible for national safety and security are confronted with numerous threats from the air, land, and sea. These threats include terrorism, smuggling, uncontrolled immigration, illegal fishing, territorial disputes, and conventional maritime conflicts such as state-on-state naval engagements, piracy, and blockade operations that jeopardize the control of economic exclusion zones (EEZs), critical maritime infrastructure, and sea lines of communication. Airborne surveillance radars, deployed from various manned and unmanned aircraft platforms, play a crucial role in addressing these challenges by enhancing Maritime Domain Awareness and enabling the effective search of vast areas to detect and monitor potential threats.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Detects, tracks and classifies dozen objects simultaneously
- 360° detection radius with range up to 200 Nm
- 3D scanning (range, altitude, direction)
- Operates in X-band for effective all-weather performance
- Utilizes the latest GaN and AESA technologies
- Scalable AESA antenna for integration on different sized platforms
- Excellent detection performance even in high clutter and interference
- Air-cooled design for significantly reduced Size, Weight and Power (SWaP)
Values & Benefits
The C-catcher ELM-2025 family of airborne surveillance AESA radars deliver outstanding performance day and night, and in all weather and visibility conditions, including clouds, rain, fog, and smoke. All radars employ IAI ELTA’s state-of-the-art Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) antenna technology, enabling simultaneous, multi-mode operation for air-to-sea, land, and air missions. AESA also facilitates enhanced detection range, higher operation altitude, improved classification and tracking, higher reliability, higher mission availability, and lower maintenance costs.
Designed to perform maritime surveillance at altitudes that optimize range and wide-area coverage, the C-catcher radars employ inverse SAR (ISAR) and Range Signature (RS) modes to detect, track, and classify even small maritime targets in all sea states. In air-to-air mode, the C-catcher radars detect and track multiple airborne targets, providing essential air situation awareness. This capability is crucial in identifying and responding to UAVs and other aerial threats, ensuring early detection and timely engagement by air defence systems. Additionally, C-catcher radars serve as effective weather research and navigation tools, capable of analyzing hurricanes and providing navigation support.
For air-to-ground operations, the C-catcher radars feature SAR and GMTI modes to support wide-area reconnaissance, including stationary and moving ground targets surveillance. In SAR mode, the radars employ Strip and Spot imaging modes, while the GMTI mode enables the detection and tracking of moving ground targets within a wide geographical area.
The C-catcher radars feature multi-mode capability, enabling them to perform a number of crucial tasks simultaneously. Their high throughput and ability to interface with systems such as AIS, ADS-B, IFF, EO/IR, and mission systems make them the center of a comprehensive surveillance suite. Available in various sizes, weights, and power configurations—with fixed and rotating AESA antenna options—the C-catcher radars can equip a wide range of platforms, from small UAVs and VTOLs to rotary-wing and fixed-wing, long-range, high-endurance aircraft. With over one thousand systems delivered to navies, coast guards, and air forces worldwide, IAI ELTA has set the industry standard for multi-mode surveillance radars. Their robust design and software-driven architecture ensure superb performance and upgradeability over an exceptionally long service life, continuing IAI ELTA’s legacy of excellence.
