The Ground Master 400 is a mobile radar system manufactured by
Thales-Raytheon Systems, then
Thales Group
Thales Group () is a French multinational company that designs, develops and manufactures electrical systems as well as devices and equipment for the aerospace, defence, transportation and security sectors. The company is headquartered in Pari ...
. GM400 is a fully digital
active electronically scanned array
An active electronically scanned array (AESA) is a type of phased array antenna, which is a computer-controlled array antenna in which the beam of radio waves can be electronically steered to point in different directions without moving the an ...
long-range air defense
3D radar
3-D, 3D, or 3d may refer to:
Science, technology, and mathematics Relating to three-dimensionality
* Three-dimensional space
** 3D computer graphics, computer graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data
** 3D film, a ...
, offering detection from very high to very low altitudes. It tracks a wide range of targets from highly maneuverable tactical aircraft flying below several hundred feet to the unconventional small radar cross section devices, such as
UAVs
An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft without any human pilot, crew, or passengers on board. UAVs are a component of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS), which includes adding a ground-based controlle ...
or cruise missiles
The system can be set up by a four-man crew in 60 minutes and can be remotely operated. The system fits in a 20-feet shipping container and weighs less than ten tons. The system can be rapidly deployed mounted on a 6x6 or 8x8 tactical truck and can be transported by a single
C-130
The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally desi ...
aircraft or a helicopter.
The GM400 with a field-proven operational availability of more than 98,5% and a MTBCF of 3500 hrs has been selected by many countries as well as France to protect the European Space Agency's
Guiana Space Centre
The Guiana Space Centre (french: links=no, Centre spatial guyanais; CSG), also called Europe's Spaceport, is a European spaceport to the northwest of Kourou in French Guiana, a region of France in South America. Kourou is located approximatel ...
. The system was to be operational by the end of 2012.
The GM400 family includes the GM403 and the GM406. The GM406 has a transmitter which is twice as powerful as the GM403, giving it 20% greater range, increasing from 390 km to 450 km. The GM406 is primarily designed to equip fixed sites, with the GM403 designed to be deployable.
In 2021, Thales introduced a new version, GM400α, with 5 times more processing power, extended range to 515 km and upcoming advanced artificial intelligence algorithms.
These radars are part of the Ground Master family (like
GM200, GM60,
GM200 MM/A and MM/C) which has been selected by many countries.
Main characteristics
* Air Surveillance Radar
* Crew: 4
*
S-band
The S band is a designation by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) for a part of the microwave radio band, band of the electromagnetic spectrum covering frequency, frequencies from 2 to 4 gigahertz (GHz). Thus it c ...
, 3D AESA Radar
*
GaN technology
* Modern algorithm to mitigate windfarm effect
* 10 RPM Rotation Rate
* High, medium and low-altitude detection, long-range air defense sensor
* Detects fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, cruise missiles, UAVs, and tactical ballistic missiles
*Coverage:
** Azimuth: 360°
** Elevation: 20° and 40°
*Performance:
**Detection range:
***Fighter aircraft: > 450 km
***Cruise missile: > 250 km
**Max detection rate in altitude: 30.5 km
**Instrumented range: 515 km
* High mobility, transportability, and reliability
* GM400 requires minimum maintenance (30 hours/year)
* Technical characteristics:
**Digital Beam Forming
**Stacked beam (maximum time on target) technology
**S-Band (high part 2.9 / 3.3 GHz)
**Clear & Doppler modes
**
Electronic Counter-CounterMeasures
Electronic counter-countermeasures (ECCM) is a part of electronic warfare which includes a variety of practices which attempt to reduce or eliminate the effect of electronic countermeasures (ECM) on electronic sensors aboard vehicles, ships and ai ...
(ECCM) capabilities
**
Tactical ballistic missile
A tactical ballistic missile (TBM), or battlefield range ballistic missile (BRBM), is a ballistic missile designed for short-range battlefield use. Typically, range is less than . Tactical ballistic missiles are usually mobile to ensure sur ...
(TBM) detection capability.
Operators
*: 2 Ground Master 403 systems
*: 12 Ground Master 403 systems.
Local designation is Keva 2010.
*: 2 systems GM 406 in 2017, 3 in 2019,
12 systems GM 403 in 2022,
*: 6 GM 403 and GM 200 systems
*: 6 systems
*: 4 systems
*: 13 GM 403 systems
*: 2 systems
*: 2 Ground Master 403 systems.
*: 4 systems
*: 3 systems
*: 4 systems
*: 2 systems
*: 2 systems on order, delivery in 2023
*: 2 systems
[.]
See also
*
KALKAN Air Defence Radar
Kalkan ( Turkish for "shield") is a phased array 3D search and track radar system for low and medium range air defense mission operations.
It is designed and manufactured by Aselsan, a Turkish corporation that produces electronic systems for t ...
*
TAFLIR TAFLIR is the abbreviation for the "Tactical Flight Radar" of the Swiss Air Force. TAFLIR is used to improve the Recognized Air Picture and to support air traffic control and air surveillance of the Swiss Air Force.
Background
The topography of ...
, another ground-based, non-fixed (i.e., transportable) search radar (
AN/TPS)
*
AN/TPS-43
The AN/TPS-43 is a transportable air search 3D radar produced in the United States originally by Westinghouse Defense and Electronic Division, which was later purchased by Northrop-Grumman. It is used primarily for early warning and tactical co ...
*
AN/TPS-75
The AN/TPS-75 is a transportable passive electronically scanned array air search 3D radar produced in the United States. It was originally designated the TPS-43E2. Although the antenna is a radically new design from the TPS-43, the radar van its ...
{{Commons category, Ground Master 400
References
Ground radars
Military radars of France
Thales Group