The 3-D CAR was originally developed as part of a program between Indian DRDO and Poland’s PIT as a family of mobile S-Band 3D radars. The areas of cooperation were developing the Planar Array and general architecture. The Indian variant is the 3-D CAR, a medium range surveillance radar for Akash at Group level, intended to provide high mobility and comprehensive high and low level coverage. It is capable of handling multiple targets simultaneously and can also precisely calculate the height at which projectiles are flying. Mounted on Tatra mobile platform, a heavy duty modified truck built by the public sector Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) and supported by an auxiliary mobile power unit, this 3-D CAR Radar can be easily transported to the battlefront. Operating in a range of up to 170km and an altitude of 15km, the 3-D CAR radar can track multiple targets like fighter jets and missiles travelling at supersonic speeds of over 3,000km/hr (around Mach 3). The radar employs an array of Electronic Counter Counter Measure (ECCM) features including frequency agility and jammer analysis. A secondary surveillance radar IFF is integrated with this 3-D CAR primary radar, which distinguishes between friendly and hostile aircraft.
Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), handed over the first of the three-dimensional CAR Radar called Rohini to the Indian Air Force in August 2008. The state-of-the-art Multifunction Medium Range Surveillance Radar has been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation’s (DRDO) Electronics and Radar Development Establishment (LRDE) in Bangalore, and engineered and produced by BEL. SPINNER GmbH is proud to supply one of the key RF components of the Radar, a highly complex rotary joint with slip ring assembly. Combining 16 RF Channels and a 125 way Slip ring unit in a very compact design, the rotary joint provides channel isolation higher than 80dB.
The army has conducted successful trials of this modified 3-D CAR Radar variant, called TCR, for detecting and tracking missiles.
India has further developed its 3-D CAR into an all-new locally produced Revathi variant for the Navy. The Rohini is the Indian Air Force specific variant whereas the Revathi is for the Indian Navy. These replace the original joint development items, such as the planar array antenna, with new locally developed ones which are more capable than the original design.
The Polish versions are the TRS series of S Band mobile radars such as the TRS-17 and TRS-19. The original Indian (3-D CAR) and Polish (TRS 17) radars shared the basic architecture and antenna but differed in terms of purpose designed transmitter/receivers and signal processing equipment. The TRS series, for instance, can track 120 targets, while the Indian radar tracks 150.
SPINNER also supplies a similar design of 16-Ch rotary joint to PIT to support the Radar with a reliable rotary joint design that can handle the high power requirement of both the Indian and Polish designs.