India is developing a radar to detect hypersonic missiles traveling at speeds exceeding Mach 5 (6,000 kilometers/3,700 miles per hour).
A primary challenge in detecting hypersonic missiles is the plasma layer that forms around the vehicle and disrupts conventional tracking.
At such speeds, intense air compression heats the surrounding atmosphere into a charged gas, creating a plasma envelope around the missile.
This layer acts like a shifting electromagnetic shield, interfering with radar signals, particularly in higher-frequency bands such as X-band and S-band, often causing conventional systems to lose track or generate false signatures.
AI-Enabled Radar
To address this, India’s new system relies on L-band Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, which operates at longer wavelengths less affected by plasma.
It also uses gallium nitride-based transmit-receiver modules to boost power output, improving the radar’s ability to penetrate plasma interference and obtain usable target returns.
The system incorporates Space-Time Adaptive Processing (STAP) techniques to distinguish plasma effects from the missile’s actual body.
By filtering out signal clutter and isolating the target, STAP improves tracking accuracy in highly disrupted electromagnetic environments.
AI and machine learning are used to adjust the radar’s settings in real time, including frequency ranges, pulse waveforms, and scanning behavior.
This allows the system to continuously adapt to changing conditions, helping maintain tracking even as the target shifts speed, altitude, and plasma characteristics during flight.
The effort is led by India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation in collaboration with the Electronics and Radar Development Establishment.
