Saab Sensis is touting its Small Scale Radar (SSR) for tracking small arms fire or rocket propelled grenades that it believes will outperform the acoustic systems currently fielded by the Army.
Saab is still developing the SSR system it plans to compete with for the next Army contract. The radar, designed to be mounted on combat vehicles or outposts, detects bullets or grenades and traces the location from which they originated, allowing soldiers to quickly return fire, said Fritz Koennecke, a senior program manager for Saab’s Defense and Security Systems unit.
A display screen produces arrows pinpointing the source of the assault, as well as the degree of intensity, he said. Saab was exhibiting SSR at the Association of the United States Army exposition in Washington this week.
Koennecke said the radar will offer better performance than acoustic systems, which he says can be easily disrupted by other sources of noise. Saab is waiting for a final request for proposals (RFP) from the Army.