Short-range anti-aircraft system

On February 1, 2023, Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu and Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov visited the Thales site in Limours (Essonne, France). The latter notably signed a contract for the delivery of a short-range anti-aircraft system. At the time of writing, the system is not yet specified. However, it can already be confirmed that it will include:

• a command and control center
• a radio communications system
• terminals designating threats
• Thales' Ground Master 200 radar.

The purchase was made via the support fund allocated to Ukraine. Thales CEO Patrice Caine announced, among other things, "Thales is proud to contribute to the protection of Ukraine, particularly through its air defense systems."

Ground Master 200

The GM200 is a mobile to semi-mobile medium-range radar. The system is containerized (20-foot/6-meter container). Thus, the container fits on a truck or can be dropped on land before operating. Its power supply is electric, with a 24-hour autonomy. It thus offers an increased mobility (on truck) or a high autonomy (24 hours on land without any support). The radar antenna is placed on a mast.

This radar is based on the GM400α and can detect and track targets moving at various altitudes (low to very high altitude). It can detect a large number of different air targets, such as airplanes, helicopters, drones, etc. It also allows coordination of C-RAM systems thanks to its ability to detect missiles, rockets, artillery and mortar shells. This capability is additionally cumulated with a capacity to calculate the impact area of the detected objects, allowing to warn the targeted troops.

In more technical terms, it is an S-band (GaN) radar, with 3D coverage with an angle of -7 to 70° and a speed of one revolution in 3 seconds in surveillance mode and 1.5 seconds in engagement mode. The maximum detection range is 250 kilometers in surveillance mode and 100 kilometers in engagement mode.