The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has developed a new radar system for ground-based detection, which can be deployed on its Meerkat wide area surveillance system.
The Meerkat currently uses a Reutech Radar Systems RSR 904 radar but the new CSIR developed unit is more cost effective. Meerkat combines the radar with day and thermal cameras for 24-hour operation, and information analysis software that is able to detect, track and classify people entering certain areas. It can monitor up to 200 square kilometres at a time.
The new Ground-based Surveillance and Classification Radar (GSCR) developed by the CSIR is able to classify targets – for example distinguishing between animals and humans, and may thus be able to operate without the Meerkat cameras that currently aid in identifying and classifying targets. The GSCR’s goal is unattended automated operation, with a game ranger, for example, obtaining a notification of an intrusion on a cell phone.
The new GSCR radar uses C-band electronically-steered antenna technology for improved sensitivity and better target classification. It is available in 4 km, 7 km and 10 km variants.
It was developed with support from the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI). The CSIR is aiming the new radar at the Border Management Authority, for counter-rhino poaching, and other applications.
The CSIR sees the radar, and its Tyto, Otus and RINO cameras, as building blocks potentially forming part of a larger family of surveillance radar systems for wildlife protection, border safeguarding, counter-crime on farms and in suburbs, key point security, counter air intrusion etc.
The CSIR has a long history of radar development, and is working on numerous radar projects at the moment, such as a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) for unmanned aerial vehicles, and has delivered a radar-based drone detection system to armasuisse (Federal Office for Defence Procurement) in Switzerland (SAMURAI: Swiss African MUltistatic RAdar Initiative). The CSIR’s most notable recent radar project is the Quadome, developed in conjunction with Hensoldt South Africa. This is the biggest local radar project in many years, and has already secured an export customer (the UK’s Royal Navy).
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