HENSOLDT Transforms COBRA Artillery Radars for a New Era
Sensor expert HENSOLDT will upgrade the testing apparatus of the artillery location radar COBRA, which is utilized by multiple NATO forces. Under a contract granted by the multinational procurement alliance Organisation Conjointe de Cooperation en matière d’Armement (OCCAR) representing Germany and France, HENSOLDT is set to substitute the COBRA Radar Environment Simulator (CRES), crucial for establishing optimal deployment and evaluating system efficacy.
The CRES serves as the essential component to assess and validate the COBRA radar’s effectiveness within a controlled environment featuring reproducible target trajectories. It produces synthetic radar returns, enabling the simulation of various ballistic projectiles (missiles, mortar shells, howitzer, or artillery rounds) without the need for actual transmissions. Consequently, the CRES can be utilized in a secure maintenance facility or even within a COBRA shelter.
The existing CRES has been operational since the 1990s and has become outdated and unreliable. Its replacement with a CRES developed and employed by HENSOLDT for third-party COBRA systems has been recognized as the most cost-effective solution.
COBRA is a tactical radar system designed for identifying enemy artillery and missile locations while calculating the trajectory of projectiles in advance to provide early alerts and facilitate defensive measures. Its initial configuration was devised by the EuroArt consortium, which includes HENSOLDT, Thales, and Lockheed Martin, around the turn of the millennium for the German, French, and British armed forces. To date, over 40 systems of various configurations have been deployed by Germany, France, Turkey, and several military forces outside Europe.
