The “Spexer” radar family from HENSOLDT, the former Electronics business unit of Airbus Defence and Space, is becoming a real export hit. Since the beginning of the year, HENSOLDT has received orders worth around 40 million euros for approx. 50 units of the Spexer 2000 ground surveillance radar from countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

Thomas Müller, the CEO of HENSOLDT, explained: “Spexer 2000 is based on the latest AESA technology with electronic beam scanning. This means that several operating modes or radar missions are possible at the same time, dramatically increasing the radar’s detection capabilities. As a result, one Spexer radar can replace several conventional radar systems.”

A total of approximately 150 Spexer radar systems have so far been deployed or are under contract worldwide. These have proved their value in more than 1.7 million hours of operation when used, for example, for border and coastal surveillance, for the protection of critical infrastructure or in military battlefield surveillance.

Spexer 2000 is optimised for ground surveillance missions. With its high Doppler and velocity resolution as well as its strong clutter suppression, it is able to reliably detect, track and classify very small and slowly moving objects such as pedestrians, but also extremely fast objects such as guided missiles. Moreover, a top-mounted camera can be added to identify suspicious objects.

Spexer 2000 is part of the Spexer family of ground surveillance radars. This product family includes various radar systems which are optimised for specific surveillance missions such as border, infrastructure, perimeter or coastal surveillance. The original, military version of the radar was developed for the German Army.

HENSOLDT is a globally leading supplier of premium sensors for security and surveillance missions. The company is the world market leader in such areas as missile warning systems and submarine periscopes. Moreover, HENSOLDT is very active in the market for radar systems, optronics and electronic protection systems.

The company comprises the defence electronics activities of the Airbus Group, which were spun off from the group in 2017 and have now entered the market as a new sensor house under the brand name of HENSOLDT, together with the former Airbus DS Optronics.

HENSOLDT employs approximately 4,000 employees, generating annual revenues of about €1 billion.