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European multinational defence corporation HENSOLDT has entered into cooperation with Israeli defence technology company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems to offer electronic countermeasures for naval vessels in Germany.
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The partnership is expected to offer equipment based on Digital Shark ECM and C-GEM decoy systems to neutralise radar-guided threats, according to a public statement from HENSOLDT published on 27 November.
The company is also developing a fully digital “Kalaetron Attack” jamming system for use onboard naval vessels.
The system, trialled in land and airborne tests, has reportedly shown effectiveness in neutralising air defence radars and is expected to enhance self-protection and signal intelligence systems used by German Armed Forces.
“Radar-guided weapons pose a major threat to naval vessels at sea as well as on land and in the air,” according to HENSOLDT head of airborne electronic warfare Roland Caster.
“We are using the knowledge we have gained from the development of Kalaetron Attack to offer the German Navy a solution to close the capability gap in the self-protection of its ships.”
The system utilises a fully digitised, broadband sensor, cognitive elements of artificial intelligence, and an electronically controllable jammer to detect and counter a broad spectrum of threats quickly and accurately, according to Caster.
Earlier this year in July, HENSOLDT announced it would deliver secondary radars and test equipment to Israel Aerospace Industries subsidiary ELTA Systems, under a contract worth approximately €10 million.
Under the deal, a number of MSSR 2000 ID and MSR1000I secondary radars and equipment will be supplied to ELTA Systems.
According to HENSOLDT, the Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) radars operate in line with the latest Mode 5 NATO standard and are destined for integration into civil air traffic control radars and military air defence radars.
These are currently used by several nations, with HENSOLDT under contract to upgrade the German, French, and UK armed forces’ IFF systems to the new Mode 5. It has also delivered the systems to other nations.
The military-based IFF systems identify whether an aircraft is a friend or foe by automatically generating interrogation signals, which are answered by transponders onboard friendly aircraft.
It is hoped that this would expedite the decision-making process for commanders while also reducing the threat of friendly fire.
The Mode 5 IFF includes new encryption technologies which can greatly avoid signal manipulation and ensure greater security within the identification process.
A HENSOLDT release has confirmed that this is being introduced across the West as a precondition for partnering within US and NATO forces.
