The British Army has put the new Ground-Based Surveillance Radar (GBSR) through its paces to evaluate its performance in complex operational environments.
During Exercise Rhino Bizz in Canada, 53 Air Assault Battery, 5th Regiment Royal Artillery, used the GBSR as part of an advanced integrated sensor network.
Staff Sergeant Dan Graham said the vast prairie at British Army Training Unit Suffield provided what he described as almost laboratory conditions to learn the system’s capabilities.
“The landscape is quite flat, and there are no trees or buildings, so we’re getting a pure return on the radar,” he explained.
“It’s giving us a baseline for the system, and then we can develop our understanding by using it in more challenging conditions.”
The Catterick-based unit received its first GBSR systems in 2025.
Inside the GBSR
Designed to complement the heavier Lightweight Multimode Radar (LMR), GBSR provides dismounted troops with a radar for localized coverage or areas beyond the LMR’s reach.
It can track where artillery and mortar rounds land, giving crews impact data to adjust their aim and improve subsequent shots.
Lightweight by design, the radar monitors the movement and location of ground troops, vehicles, aircraft, and autonomous systems across the battlefield.
“One of the great advantages of this kit is how lightweight it is and how quick it is to set up,” said Devon Neal, lance bombardier and second-in-command of a GBSR detachment.
“We can move it quickly to where it’s needed as another sensor to understand the battlefield, and that makes our lethality and survivability a lot better.”
