DSEi 2011: Kelvin Hughes pitches surveillance radar for Afghanistan operations

Kelvin Hughes has offered up a low-power, portable anti-jamming radar for ongoing operations in Afghanistan, Shephard has been informed.

Exhibiting its Boxer system at DSEi in London, Kelvin Hughes director responsible for security, sensors and systems, said the company was 'in the process of offering a system for operational deployment'.

Sources have revealed that the UK's MoD has such a requirement for a surveillance radar for the purposes of forward operating base (FOB) protection in Afghanistan to 'pick up enemy movements in all conditions' including dust, snow and rain. Boxer could also be networked to other EO/IR sensors although Field conceded that these had yet to be determined.

One option could include Kelvin Hughes' partnership with Chess Dynamics which combines Boxer with the directional day/night Owl camera to provide a fusion of radar and EO sensors. A source said: 'The collaboration enables the Kelvin Hughes radar to track targets long range and cue and slew the Chess Dynamics day/night camera system via the stabilised director in order to zoom in on the target or threat.

In the past, British armed forces have used ground surveillance radars including M-Star which Field said could be easily jammed and lacked performance in bad weather.

Comprising a man-portable system, Boxer is based upon Kelvin Hughes' SharpEye technology and is designed to be deployed by one or two personnel and can also be mounted on a vehicle or trailer on a quad bike - a popular platform on operations in Helmand Province.

The system relies on a Fully Coherent Solid State I (X) band Doppler ground surveillance radar, capable of performing 120 degree sweeps through its electronically-steered phased antenna array or rotated to give 360 degree coverage.

Field told Shephard: 'In both portable and fixed conditions, the Boxer system can detect very small targets in heavy clutter and deliver situational intelligence in inclement weather, day or night and in challenging terrain.'