New Cognitive 'MIMO' Drone Radar Completes Flight Testing in Germany

September 30, 2024

An ever-growing number of aircraft now share the airspace over urban areas. Drones are increasingly being used for a wide range of applications, including in Class G airspace, which is not centrally monitored by air traffic control. New types of radar systems are required so that even the smallest drones can be detected at an early stage.

As part of the MIMO (Multiple-Input and Multiple-Output) Air project, the German Aerospace Center (DLR) conducted a series of flight tests at Magdeburg-Cochstedt Airport in August 2024. DLR researchers used the DLR BO 105 research helicopter and several drones to test a compact, interference-resistant radar system designed to monitor uncontrolled airspace over urban areas. The system was developed by HENSOLDT and its partners.

"By conducting these flight tests, we were able to demonstrate that the new system can reliably and safely detect airspace users such as drones," says Ingo Jesse from the DLR Institute of Flight Guidance. "During the tests with our research helicopter and a swarm of drones, we guided the radar system, which was integrated into a box and suspended from the helicopter, towards the drones that the radar was supposed to detect." As the helicopter approached, a swarm of drones of different sizes and weights performed various flight scenarios, with the aim of verifying the range and accuracy of the radar.

MIMO Air Project Developments: A Cognitive Radar System, Ground Control Station and Data Link

The flight tests, conducted by the DLR Institute of Flight Guidance with support from the DLR Flight Experiments facility, marked the culmination of the MIMO Air project. The tests took place at DLR's National Experimental Test Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems in Cochstedt. Under the leadership of HENSOLDT, project partners developed and validated a research prototype for an 'Air Traffic Monitoring and Management System' (ATMMS).

This resulted in several new main components, namely the MIMO radar system, comprising the MIMO radar sensor and a radar post-processor, along with a ground control system and a data link. The radar system monitors the immediate vicinity of the flying platform, warns of any obstacles, provides navigation and landing assistance, and can use artificial intelligence to adapt to the prevailing environmental conditions.

At the ground station, operators monitored and controlled the system via a digital data link. Besides the radar data, they evaluated external information such as weather and flight situation data. One of the operators also wore a head-mounted display that sent information straight to his field of vision, enabling better visual situational awareness. Unlike previous systems, the MIMO radar system can also detect drones that are barely moving or hovering on the spot by measuring the slightest movements of the rotors or vibrations of the airframe.

In general, a cognitive MIMO radar system is characterized by the fact that it uses artificial intelligence (AI) to react dynamically to changing environmental conditions and also takes its limited hardware and software resources into account in an appropriate manner. The “multiple-input and multiple-output” capability of the MIMO system enables the radar sensor to “virtually” increase its signal reception aperture without physically changing the size of its receiving antenna. This capability is essential if the weight and size of the radar sensor is to be kept as small as possible.

For the MIMO Air project, HENSOLDT collaborated with the DLR Institute of Flight Guidance, the DLR Institute of Systems Engineering for Future Mobility, DLR Flight Experiments, the Fraunhofer Institute for High-Frequency Physics and Radar Techniques (FHR), Humatects GmbH and DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH on development and verification.

The tests have shown that the system is capable of monitoring uncontrolled airspace above urban areas. Further analyses are currently being carried out to assess the reliable and safe detection of aircraft.

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