The Polish defence company Zakłady Mechaniczne Tarnów presented an anti-drone system that is based on the multifunctional RADA MHR radar and the WKLM Gatling type 12.7 mm gun.

Based on the information released, the system appears to engage a civilian-type Nano-category Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) as well as at least one fixed-wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV).

The RADA MHR radar has the ability to track not only larger aircraft, but also those of the “nano” category or the so-called micro-objects. Depending on the size of the UVA, RADA has a different range of tracking: if the drone is in the “nano” category, the radar can track the target at a distance of up to 3 km; if it falls in the “micro” category the distance goes up to 5 km and for the Miniature class the distance is at least 10 km.

The MHR is a reliable multi-mission radar for a variety of air-defence missions such as Counter-UAS, Very Short-Range Air Defence (VSHORAD) and Counter Rocket, Artillery, and Mortar (C-RAM).

This pulse-Doppler, software-defined, S-band radar platform incorporates, among others, an AESA antenna and GaN amplifiers with advanced 4D processing capabilities. This radar is the choice for many air-defence applications such as the Stryker A1 IM-SHORAD.

Also read: Stryker A1 | Interim Maneuver Short-range Air Defence Vehicle – VIDEO

The WKLM 4-barrel Gatling-type 12.7 mm machine gun can fire up to 3600 rounds in one minute. The machine gun is connected to both radar and an Electro-optic system (EOS) including a day/night (thermal) camera and a rangefinder that can automatically lock the weapon system on the target. 

In addition to the aforementioned connected devices, the weapon system features a gunner station.

The system can be used to protect critical infrastructure, buildings, command posts etc. It can also be installed on mobile platforms. 

The system operates in three modes: 

• Fully manual, in which the operator directs the gun to the target;
• Semi-automatic, in which the operator’s actions are supported by automatic monitoring of the object in the video path;
• Automatic operation, in which the target can be automatically detected and the operator decides to engage the target at the exact time specified by the system.

Watch a video with the system in action below:

Also read: MILIPOL 2021 | CERBAIR “Chimera” – The drones’ nightmare