Hensoldt is developing an innovative airborne multi-mission surveillance radar designed to provide armed forces and border protection authorities with unprecedented situational awareness and extremely short reaction times.

Hensoldt is a $1bn company based in Germany, comprising the security and defence electronics activities of Airbus Group, which were spun off in 2017.

The software-defined radar, named PrecISR, translates the latest advances in active array and digital receiver technology into a scaleable high-performance sensor which can be installed aboard helicopters, UAVs and fixed-wing mission aircraft.

According to Hensoldt, the system's superior precision and target accuracy make it the sensor of choice for surveillance of large sea and coastal areas against piracy, trafficking or illicit intrusion.

Featuring software-defined radar modes and electronic beam-steering, PrecISR can fulfil different tasks virtually at the same time, detecting, tracking and classifying thousands of objects. Hensoldt says that, because of the system's compact design and the fact that all power consuming parts are located outside of the airframe, the airborne platform integration of PrecISR is simplified significantly compared to other radars.

PrecISR is currently in the full-scale development phase. A fully functional flying demonstrator is expected to be completed in about one year’s time, followed by an initial production unit in 2020.