The transmit/receive modules developed by EADS Defence & Security (DS) for the fire control radar of the Medium Extended Air Defence System (MEADS) have passed their acceptance tests and are being put into serial production. Thus, EADS DS is the first European company to mass produce the new Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar technology on an industrial scale with a volume of more than 40,000 modules. This gives the joint US-Italian-German MEADS program a strategic lead in the deployment of AESA technology.

Within the framework of the MEADS design and development contract, which is worth about €120 M, the EADS DS’ Defence Electronics Business Unit will deliver the T/R modules over a period of four years. These modules will make the MEADS fire control radar the most powerful radar of its type in the world and are key elements in the new generation of radar systems, which are based on AESA technology.

Instead of having mechanical antenna steering control, AESA radar systems use electronic beam scanning, which is made possible by thousands of T/R modules. This concept offers new possibilities for deployment and will therefore be used for all future military radars in the world. EADS Defence & Security staff from Defence Electronics, Defence and Communications Systems and LFK GmbH/MBDA, which are responsible for the complete radar antenna, are cooperating closely on this to ensure the success of the program.

“The high demands placed on the capabilities of the MEADS radar cannot be met without AESA technology,” declared Stefan Zoller, CEO of EADS Defence & Security. “The joint efforts of the various EADS Defence & Security business units have advanced this development to a point where we can supply the participating states with tens of thousands of deployable modules within a relatively short period.”