Cassidian develops transmit & receive modules

Neelam Mathews

Nov 22, 2012

Cassidian an EADS company, has developed a new generation of transmit & receive modules which give the new AESA radars with electronic beam scanning (AESA - Active Electronically Scanned Array) previously unattained performance. The multi-mode and multi-tasking capabilities of AESA antennas can be enhanced on a sustained basis while at the same time significantly reducing production costs.

The new technology offers operational advantages for the customer that Cassidian can expect AESA radars to be used in many fields of reconnaissance and surveillance in future. The products using the new TRMs include the Eurofighter’s future e-scan radar, the security radars in the Spexer family as well as spaceborne earth observation radars.

“Our new-generation modules increase radar performance, while the cost of production is reduced by more than 30 percent,” says Dr. Elmar Compans, head of the Sensors & Electronic Warfare unit at Cassidian.

In contrast to conventional systems, radars based on AESA technology can perform several tasks practically simultaneously. The transmitting energy is generated directly in the antenna, namely in a multitude of transmit & receive modules (TRM), instead of in a delicate central transmitter.