Radar Systems

GO12 is the latest generation medium range tactical battlefield radar. The compact, shoulder-width radar sensor with a weight of 16.7 kg forms the heart of the system. Together with the appr. 13 kg of mandatory accessories, the GO12 offers highly mobile, airmobile and even airborne units excellent capabilities for target acquisition, indirect fire adjustment and 360°-surveillance of key terrain up to a distance of 27 km. Like that, single soldiers approaching very slowly up to near ground targets with a speed of approx. 450 km/h can be detected. Modern interfaces also enable the radar-generated information to be integrated into the battle management systems of higher command levels. In high-precision fire adjustment mode, the GO12 detects the impact of a mortar/artillery shell with an accuracy of just a few meters from the actual point of impact. Set up in the field takes just under five minutes. With two low-voltage batteries, a system autonomy of six hours of operation is achieved. An optional solar charging kit enables recharging in the area of operation. In "Agile Frequency Mode", the GO12 switches between a large number of channels. Thus, locating the radar position with electronic intelligence measures becomes much more difficult for the enemy.

With these and many other functions, the GO12 is suitable for a wide range of civilian and military applications, including commando missions aiming at locating and destroying high-value targets deep in enemy territory. Installed on masts, the radar has been proving itself for years in large quantities in a 4.100 km long border surveillance system. Other customers solely use it as a mobile coastal surveillance radar.

For the past few years, the GO12 has been deployed in major combat operations on the modern battlefields of the 21st century. Due to its enormous versatility, it has more than proven itself and has become an indispensable asset for the national defense of modern armed forces. The GO12 is already part of the integrated ATLAS - Joint Fire Support System of the French Defense Forces.

Bringing new dimensions of protection

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) seem to be everywhere these days… We read about them in the news, we see them flying in our skies, and we may even have one ourselves or know someone who does. The situation is no different for our armed forces in their operational environment: over the past few years, UAVs have become ubiquitous to the battlefield.

Yet the stakes for our armed forces are, as you can expect, much higher! For us, these unmanned systems are either a hobby or a ‘mere’ nuisance, a worry in passing about our privacy. For our soldiers in the battlefield, they are a serious security concern.

While we are mostly used to seeing small ones, our soldiers have to face these systems in all shapes, sizes, and configurations. Ranging from very small to medium and large, potentially armed and/or featuring surveillance capabilities, these systems may be slow or very fast, and deployed alone or in swarms - that is, multiple UAVs flying at once in coordinated patterns. This adds significantly to confusion in the battlefield, potentially saturating or blind-siding armed forces defences.

That is why for us, at Thales, it was crucial to develop the Ground Observer 20 Multi-Mission (GO20MM), a radar that can protect our forces anytime, anywhere, be it in their camps, on the battlefield or as a column on the march.

What is particularly great about the GO20MM is that it provides our forces with a new dimension of situational awareness. Before, radar operators had to switch modes depending on whether they wanted to detect ground – insurgents by foot or armed vehicles – or air – UAVs in the low-level airspace or helicopters in the upper-level airspace – targets. With the GO20MM they will now be able to enjoy permanent 3 Dimensional (3D) 360° coverage in a single mode. And because it is fitted with detection, classification and tracking capabilities, as well as a simple interface for the radar operator, armed forces will be quickly notified of incoming threats winning decisive seconds for decision-making.

GO80 is the latest generation wide-range Thales radar for ground and coastal surveillance. The man-portable system provides armed forces worldwide with excellent detection, tracking and classification capabilities for distances of up to 80 km for the detection of fast-moving as well as slow-moving targets. GO80 works reliably even under extreme conditions like bad weather, partly hidden targets or electronic countermeasures. Set-up in the field only takes five minutes and two people. Modern interfaces allow for the connection of the radar to different battle management systems. With all these properties, GO80 is perfectly equipped e.g. for battlefield reconnaissance, coastal surveillance and adjustment of own mortar/artillery fire. The radar can also be operated mounted on a tripod or on vehicles. Due to its relatively low weight, the GO80 can also be easily installed on a mast. In fact, in this fixed mast configuration, the GO80 has been proving itself for years in large quantities in a 4.100 km long border surveillance system.

The Thales GO80 is used e.g. by the Finnish Naval Reconnaissance Company for the forward deployed surveillance of the coastal regions. After detection of an enemy ship, its coordinates are transmitted to the own coastal artillery. The GO80 radar squad then supports the batteries by adjusting their indirect fire onto the target.

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The battle-tested missile and mortar early-warning system GA10 helps to reliably protect armed forces worldwide, their units, bases in out-of-area missions as well as important infrastructures. With its integrated alarm, it provides fully-automatic 360° protection (“sense & warn”) in continuous operation. Several devices can be used to configure alarm zones.

As with all German-made Thales sensors, the maintenance costs to be expected for the extremely reliable GA10 can be calculated early via the Thales Life Cycle Programme. Furthermore, faulty HF and signal processing modules can be easily replaced by the operator in the field.