BUR radar concept
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EADS will equip the German Armed Forces with a new kind of Active Electronically-Scanning Array (AESA) ground surveillance radar for reliably detecting movements both on the ground and in the air close to the ground. The German BWB (Federal Office of Defence Technology and Procurement) has placed an order “in the double digit million range” with EADS for the initial delivery of 2 system demonstrators by the end of 2009, mounted on KMW’s Dingo 2 vehicles. BUR is intended to close the gap in capabilities of the German Armed Forces in the area of ground surveillance, and will serve from 2012-2037 at least. Delivery of 78 more BUR systems via series production is planned as of 2012.

BUR on Dingo-2
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EADS claims that the Bodenuberwachungsradar (lit. “Ground Overwatch Radar”) is “specially designed for recognizing asymmetric threats,” and notes that other countries have expressed interest as well.

As DID has noted, AESA radars have performance, versatility, and reliability advantages over conventional scanning arrays. EADS has some experience with this technology via its TerraSAR space radars, its work upgrading Germany’s F124 Sachsen Class frigates, and its participation in the NATO AGS aerial reconnaissance system and the MEADS program to build the Patriot system’s air-defense successor. In this case, AESA’s real-time electronic beam scanning allows the BUR to perform parallel tasks like simultaneous ground and air scans; EADS claims it will “replace three conventional radars.” EADS Defence Electronics (DE) site in Ulm will build the AESA modules under clean-room conditions.