NATO Courts Keysight for ESM/Radar Testing

NATO’s Naval Forces Sensor and Weapons Accuracy Check Sites (FORACS) have contracted Keysight Technologies to upgrade key defense electronics test capabilities. According to the NATO FORACS headquarters office in Brussels, Belgium, the contract will enable the modernization of measurement capabilities for simulation and testing of the latest electronic-support-measures (ESM), electronic-warfare (EW), and radar systems.

The contract will involve deployment of Keysight’s radar target generator and EW simulation and test solutions. They will support the operational readiness of radar and ESM systems across all NATO member nations and across a wide range of threat environments.

The simulation and test tools feature a modular open-systems architecture (MOSA) readily modified and upgraded for changes in simulation and test requirements (see image above). They also build upon commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) simulation and test products to provide cost-effective simulation and test even as future mission requirements grow more complex.

Keysight vice-president and general manager for Europe, Middle, East, and Africa (EMEA), Thierry Locquette, provided his company’s thoughts on the contract: “NATO’s ability to verify and enhance the accuracy of its radar and ESM systems is critical to mission success in today’s contested electromagnetic spectrum environment. Keysight is proud to provide the cutting-edge solutions necessary to enable NATO FORACS to maintain the highest levels of sensor performance, ensuring operational superiority across allied forces.”

The Keysight systems can simulate high-fidelity radar returns for testing, e.g., Doppler shifts, as well as complex electromagnetic (EM) environments, including jammers and multi-emitter interference.