Patria WISPR: Passive counter-battery radar — The silent force multiplier for projectile detection

EUROSATORY. Utilizing the experience gained in the development of Patria MUSCL passive air surveillance radar, a first-of-its-kind passive counter-battery radar has been developed. Patria WISPR (Weapon Indication and Sensing Passive Radar) introduces a new era in counter-battery missions where survivability, availability, and silent surveillance are critical.

Patria WISPR, Weapon Indication and Sensing Passive Radar, represents a new era of counter-battery operation when silence and availability are paramount – a completely passive counter-battery radar enabling continuous survivability in battlefield even close to enemy. By utilizing Passive Coherent Location (PCL) technology, it has no transmitters that would reveal its presence and location, hence it senses quietly providing continuous projectile detection and weapon locating capabilities.

Active counter-battery radars provide critical capabilities, but their emissions make them detectable, targetable, and vulnerable to electronic support measures, geolocation and precision strikes. On today’s battlefield, where sensor-to-shooter timelines are extremely short, maintaining persistent surveillance becomes increasingly difficult and costly.

Detect without being detected

Utilizing Passive Coherent Location (PCL) technology, Patria WISPR operates without transmitters, eliminating emissions that could reveal its position. This enables operational survivability by continuous projectile detection and weapon locating even close to frontline and under enemy threat. Patria WISPR can operate independently or together with active counter-battery radars as a cueing sensor, allowing them to survive longer while ensuring availability when needed most.

Multistatic mode of operation and high-performance antenna arrays combined with enhanced passive radar signal processing enable Patria WISPR to detect artillery shells, mortar bombs, and rocket projectiles and to provide a point of origin estimate at operationally significant ranges. The system currently utilizes digital television transmitters as its primary source of illumination, providing wide azimuth coverage with high update rate.

System highlights

Survivability Starts with silence!

• Multiple platform and deployment options (e.g. trailer or container) tailored to Customer needs.
• Environmental tolerance and high availability in extreme conditions.
• Minimal operator attendance required during operation.
• Flexible and easily tailorable interfaces for integration to Customer’s command and control systems.

Patria WISPR is designed for the requirements of the current and future battlefield. It is a robust all-weather capable system designed for reliable operations in demanding conditions. Patria WISPR will be a key element in the transformation of how modern artillery detects and responds to threats without revealing their own position. Success and survivability start with silence.

Use Cases

Weapon locating: In weapon locating use case, Patria WISPR detects and tracks artillery, mortar and rocket projectile trajectories, and reports estimated point of origin accurate enough for starting quick counter-fire.

Cueing sensor: When used with an active counter-battery radar, Patria WISPR can act as a silent cueing sensor. This improves radar survivability and lifetime by enabling activation only when needed and for minimal exposure.

Air surveillance: Patria WISPR is a multi-purpose radar designed for projectile detection and weapon locating, and it can also perform air surveillance, detecting and tracking aerial threats such as UAVs.