IMSAR LLC, a privately owned research, development, and manufacturing company that specializes in lightweight, low-power Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) devices and radar image processing, has teamed up with Optisys LLC, a privately-owned RF design and additive manufacturing company, to create a low-Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP) radar, which is designed to be used on High Altitude, Long Endurance (HALE) platforms.

The high-altitude radar system combines Optisys's ability to miniaturize antenna arrays through 3D printing with IMSAR's military-proven radar technology.

“Combining IMSAR's low SWAP NanoSAR radar with the novel printed aluminum antenna array from Optisys has yielded an exquisite new class of radar designed for HALE aircraft,” explains Larry Moore, vice president of Sales at IMSAR.

“The use of this radar on HALE platforms allows for continued surveillance where multiple aircraft or satellites were needed previously. This provides unrivaled agility in imagery collection and time on station.”

IMSAR's high-altitude radar is based on its existing, low-SWaP NanoSAR C technology. This technology provides the foundation for IMSAR's Commercial, Off-the-Shelf (COTS) NSP-3, NSP-5 and NSP-7 airborne radar systems.

Capable of several modes of operation from over 60,000 feet Above Ground Level (AGL), the high-altitude radar is designed to operate continuously in stratospheric environments. 

Optisys created a single array that combines multiple horns, waveguide combiners, mounting structures, and thermal features, which allows IMSAR's high-altitude radar to operate within the stringent SWaP requirements of HALE platforms.

The Optisys array reduces the parts needed for the aperture by 94 percent, which sufficiently reduces the space and weight needed for the radar system to allow HALE platforms that were previously unable to carry radar sensors to be equipped with the radar.

Additionally, the low-loss 3D aluminum array allows for more reductions in system power requirements, which improves mission longevity.