Military radar technology isn’t exactly new. The first defensive military radars went into development during WWII and, spurred on by the efforts of various nations and research organizations, became widespread in use by the late 1940s.
Originally, the focus of military radar technologies was to enhance defense by detecting ships and aircraft approaching through darkness, fog, or other obscuring conditions. Today, however, military radar is used not only for long-distance detection of large threats, but also for the short- to mid-range detection of small threats, including enemy infantry, vehicles, and even small drones.
And what makes small modern military radars even more impressive is their mobility. Mobile radar ground surveillance systems can be set up, broken down, packed up, and moved quickly, which makes them an asset to small teams of mobile warfighters, especially when they have to navigate and defend themselves in unfamiliar terrain.
Mobile defense is an absolute necessity in modern warfare. In an era of fast-moving, stealthy threats, constant or “persistent” surveillance capabilities are crucial for the defense of static and mobile assets. Military defense requires ground surveillance systems that can reliably detect, track, and trigger alarms on potential threats out in the field, anywhere warfighters go, and around crucial infrastructure.
While a number of ground surveillance systems are in use, radar ground surveillance is one of the most effective, mobile, and cost-friendly options available for troop defense.
Key Takeaways
- Defense is vital for military success and versatile in its applications. Static and mobile defense emphasize different tactics and require different resources.
- Ground surveillance systems are crucial for defense and security, providing real-time monitoring and intelligence-gathering capabilities for both static and mobile defense efforts.
- Radar ground surveillance systems have advantages such as 24/7 monitoring, early threat detection, and the ability to cover large areas.
- Of all the available ground surveillance technologies, radar ground surveillance systems have the lowest SWaP and are best suited to the needs of mobile warfighters.
A Brief Overview of Defense
“The whole art of war consists in well-reasoned and extremely circumspect defensive, followed by rapid and audacious attack.” - Napoleon Bonaparte, renowned military strategist
Defense is, and always has been, a vital cornerstone of military success. Modern military minds acknowledge that the core, overarching strategy of both sides in any given armed conflict is attrition. To summarize: the enemy’s ability to sustainably wage war must be broken and one’s own ability to sustainably wage war must be preserved.
Defense is vital in a conflict of attrition. Robust, adaptable defense allows armed forces to “outlast” the enemy, in some cases even when the enemy has greater numbers, more resources, and other significant offensive advantages. Effective defense preserves resources, guards the chain of supply, and prevents the enemy from seizing land and resource advantages. All this helps to wear down the enemy’s resources through their own failed offensives. Defense also supports morale, provides the supportive bedrock from which successful offensive initiatives can be planned and launched, provides concealment and the ability to surprise the enemy, and allows the advantages gained through offensives to be retained, ideally at a minimal cost.
Time, space, and resources are all vital. Whether it be the static defense of a permanent location or the dynamic defense of mobile warfighters, when defensive advantages are gained, soldiers must have adequate time, safety, and resources with which to solidify their newly gained defensive position.
Defense for permanent locations will typically favor strength, as in the ability to withstand and repel enemy offensives. Mobile defense, however, while very possibly employing strength, will be just as likely to emphasize stealth and concealment as a way of preventing asset loss. Either emphasis or any combination thereof will necessitate constant and stringent situational awareness over the surrounding area, especially over nearby “avenues of attack” or “mobility corridors”. This situational awareness is exactly what ground surveillance systems are meant to provide.
By monitoring at-risk areas and providing early warning of approaching threats, ground surveillance systems secure at-risk spaces, safeguard resources, and provide warfighters with the time they need to solidify and maintain their gains and defensive positions.
Radar vs Multifaceted Ground Surveillance for Mobile Defense
Radar has been at the center of ground surveillance technology ever since militaries began substituting technology-driven surveillance for constant human supervision. Radar was a good choice. It can see farther than human eyes can, pick up movement sooner, detect movement through fog, rain, and darkness, and, with just a little bit of power, can monitor continuously for days, weeks, or even years.
“Ground surveillance consistently monitors ground activities and has historically relied on radar and observational data.” - European Security & Defense
Ground surveillance radars automatically detect and track suspicious objects within predefined areas by analyzing the object’s activity. Depending on the activity of a detected target, these radar systems trigger an alert through rule-based or behavior analysis that can be pre-programmed or learned automatically by the radar’s AI over time. This enables GSRs to pre-empt potential security issues, enabling swift and timely responses to approaching threats.
Advantages and Limitations of Ground Surveillance Systems
Ground Surveillance Systems
Advantages
Enhanced situational awareness
Real-time monitoring
Improved security
Early threat detection
Efficient resource allocation
Reduced response time
Applications
Border control
Military defense, mobile and static
Critical infrastructure protection
The most powerful and technologically advanced ground surveillance radars have ranges of over 10km and are typically used to protect fixed sites. In addition to detecting vehicles, helicopters, and other aircraft, such radars are sometimes mounted on friendly aircraft, can produce high-resolution images of buildings and bridges, and integrate with other sensors. Thanks to advances in technology integration, now, in addition to radars, many ground surveillance systems combine data from radars, thermal cameras, acoustic sensors, satellite imagery, video management systems, and more. This is useful for keeping site defenders maximally informed on the ground surrounding them and produces impressive defensive results.
In addition, ground surveillance systems can be integrated with other defense technologies, such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and command and control systems to provide an even more comprehensive and integrated approach to security and surveillance. As such, ground surveillance systems are a fundamental component of modern defense capabilities, providing essential intelligence and situational awareness to military personnel.
However, these larger, more multifaceted ground surveillance systems have one problem: they are difficult to move. It’s one thing to install and integrate multiple sensors around a military base or around energy infrastructure. It’s quite another for small, mobile teams of warfighters to carry, set up, be trained on, and effectively use multiple pieces of surveillance equipment, especially when they need to move quickly and quietly while also carrying their weaponry and other supplies.
Low SWaP is a constant priority for warfighters and it’s not practicable for teams to carry around half a dozen sensors and the pieces needed to integrate data from all of them. The more multifaceted mobile ground surveillance systems are, the more they will weigh. They will also cost more and may require more training for field use.
How Ground Surveillance Radars Solve the Mobility Issue
Ground surveillance is just as vital for mobile teams as it is for permanent military locations, especially when air support is lacking. However, for ground surveillance equipment not to be a liability for mobile warfighters, the equipment must be as low SWaP and as easy to train on and use as possible.
If mobile warfighters must be limited to one ground surveillance tool, if all the “extras” must be stripped away and just one highly effective, mobile-friendly sensor depended on, that sensor should be compact surveillance radar.
Compact surveillance radar kits are light, easy to set up and pack up quickly, and dependable in their threat-detection capabilities. Few portable perimeter sensors can rival compact surveillance radar for effective range, low SWaP, and adaptability to varied terrain. In addition to being able to detect targets through smoke, snow fog, and darkness, mobile radar kits can be adaptably set up to cover rural areas and urban areas, and even monitor airspace for approaching drones.
Training on the setup, take down, and use of mobile ground surveillance radar is fast and easy, often requiring less than fifteen minutes.
Ground Surveillance Radar Price
Ground surveillance system prices vary by system type, manufacturer, and order customizations. Prices may vary even more when negotiations are made for large-volume orders. Multifaceted ground surveillance systems can range widely in price, from ten thousand to millions of dollars. Additionally, as different sites deal with different terrain, surroundings, and perimeter security needs, giving a price estimate for a ground surveillance system without a site analysis can be difficult.
Speaking specifically of radars, one of the most significant factors in ground surveillance radar prices is the detection range. Compact surveillance radars, including those included in the surveillance kits of mobile warfighters, may provide a detection range of a few hundred meters to multiple kilometers depending on the radar model in the kit.
The best way to get a price estimate for a ground surveillance system is to contact the manufacturer for a general quote. More precise quotes can be obtained by requesting a free site analysis of the location in question.
What Sets Spotter Global Radars Apart?
In 2009, Spotter Global pioneered the use of small, portable security radar systems for military defense. The company has since expanded its product line to include radar perimeter security solutions for various military installations, critical infrastructure sites, data centers, dams, farms, airports, private properties, and other locations in need of continuous perimeter security monitoring.
Spotter Global’s first product, the Tactical Radar Kit™ (TRK™), was a small, portable security radar system for warfighters. With a total weight of ten lbs, the Tactical Kit has provided a low SWaP, quickly trainable, and quickly deployable perimeter security option for mobile warfighters for over ten years.
Spotter Global engineers spent over a decade refining compact radar technology and radar software to empower warfighters and security professionals alike to detect and classify threats. Today, Spotter radars include industry-leading accuracy, AI-powered filters that minimize nuisance alarms, as well as the ability to customize site security designs with dynamic, responsive alarm zones. Spotter software also allows security professionals to consolidate security oversight and data over hundreds of secure sites for streamlined enterprise level security management.
The Future of Ground Surveillance Systems: Emerging Technologies and Trends
The future of ground surveillance systems is marked by ongoing advancements in sensor technology, data processing capabilities, and communication networks. These advancements are driving the development of highly sophisticated and effective surveillance systems that can operate in diverse environments, both mobile and static, and provide actionable intelligence to decision-makers. One emerging trend is the inclusion and enhancement of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning algorithms in ground surveillance systems, enabling automated analysis for the reduction of false alarms and expedited, multi-layered threat classification.
Other exciting developments include the integration of surveillance systems of command and control systems, such as Spotter Global’s IMC, and the expanding use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for ground surveillance data, enhancing both military reconnaissance and site security.
Also, unmanned ground vehicles (UGV), robotic platforms equipped with sensors and cameras are improving. These UGVs are increasingly capable of operating in challenging terrain and hazardous environments and can be deployed for reconnaissance and surveillance missions, providing valuable intelligence without putting personnel at risk.
Additionally, advancements in imaging technologies, such as multispectral imaging and hyperspectral imaging, are enabling ground surveillance systems to provide more precise intelligence to decision-makers.
Year by year these integrations and innovations are making security and surveillance more comprehensive than ever and by so doing enhancing the effectiveness of defense capabilities.
Conclusion
In conclusion, ground surveillance systems are a critical component of modern defense technology, providing essential intelligence and situational awareness to support effective military defense and site security operations. These systems play a vital role in protecting borders, military installations, critical infrastructure, as well as in supporting mobile military efforts.
When it comes to protecting small mobile teams of warfighters, radar ground surveillance is one of the best options. Highly effective at detecting security threats in diverse environments and obscuring weather conditions, easy to train on, and with low SWaP, mobile radar kits can make a significant difference in the defensive capabilities of mobile warfighters.
As the global security landscape continues to evolve, the demand for advanced ground surveillance systems is expected to grow, driving further innovation and development in this critical defense technology. As ever defense technology will innovate quickly to keep up with the risks presented by new offensive technologies and strategies. With ongoing advancements in sensor technology, data processing and integration capabilities, and communication networks, the future of radar ground surveillance systems, for site protection and mobile operations, is bright.