The Drone Anti-Radar (DAR) was a development project by Dornier GmbH for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) designed to detect and engage hostile radar systems, specifically air defense radars, within a designated target area.[1]
The development project was terminated in 1994 and the system was not adopted for service in Germany.[2]
History
In the early 1980s, the United States and West Germany began developing a disposable UAV intended to locate and engage enemy radar installations. Additionally, the aircraft was designed to simulate larger aircraft, thereby acting as a decoy to divert attention from friendly manned aircraft. On the German side, Dornier (and subsequently its successor, Deutsche Aerospace) carried out the work on behalf of the German Air Force (Luftwaffe).[3]
During the project's development, a viable seeker head could not be successfully developed, which limited the system's suitability for its intended purpose. This technical hurdle, combined with the end of the Cold War and the subsequent dissolution of the Soviet Union (removing the primary threat), led to the qualified termination of the project.[4][5]
Following the project's cancellation, the development documentation for the UAV was sold to Israel. Israel subsequently developed its own system based on this technology, the IAI Harpy.
There has been speculation that knowledge gained from the DAR influenced the design of the IAI Harpy and, subsequently, that the DAR served as a template for the Iranian Shahed-136/131 drone and its Russian version, the Geran-2. While similarities in external design features exist, definitive proof that the DAR is the direct ancestor of the Shahed-136 remains a subject of debate. The DAR was designed to autonomously seek targets, whereas the Shahed operates against pre-programmed coordinates.[6][7]
Gallery
Two Dornier DAR drones on display in Friedrichshafen
Drone Anti-Radar launch vehicle
Operational mission profile of the DAR
Mission profile
The primary mission was SEAD (Suppression of Enemy Air Defences) through:
Destruction of enemy fire-control and search radars.
Forcing the shutdown of enemy radar equipment.
Saturation of enemy air defenses.
Distracting enemy air defenses from other targets.
Depleting enemy air defense missiles and ammunition.
Technology
The UAV is a delta-wing aircraft constructed using composite materials. Two fold-out side-force control surfaces (fins) are embedded in the wings on both sides of the fuselage; these are deployed into position prior to the final approach to the target. The fuel tanks are designed as slide-in units.[8]
The engine, equipped with a flange-mounted generator, is installed in the rear of the airframe. It is started while the drone is still inside the launch tube. The two-bladed pusher propeller is connected to the engine via a clutch, which locks the propeller rigidly to the engine only after the drone leaves the launch container. A booster rocket is positioned beneath the engine to provide the necessary thrust to accelerate the UAV out of the launch container to the required flight speed.[9]
A fragmentation warhead utilizing the latest technology was intended to be mounted in the fuselage immediately behind the seeker head. It was capable of effectively engaging all relevant target types.
For flight control, the onboard computer receives data from a three-axis fiber-optic gyroscope package, air data sensors, a GPS-Navstar receiver, and a magnetometer. The passive broadband seeker was designed to cover all radar devices in the target catalog. The necessary target parameters were to be loaded before launch, with the seeker scanning frequency bands during flight. Upon detecting a target, the data determined by the seeker would be used to guide the drone to the target.
The DAR system included a launch vehicle and a transport/reload vehicle. These utilized the Iveco 260AH 6x6 10-tonne truck with an extended chassis. An originally planned mounting on the MAN 260AH 6x4 10-tonne truck (a standard vehicle of the Bundeswehr) was abandoned after initial testing.[2]
The chassis of the launch vehicle carried the Ground Control Station (GCS) in a standard "Type II FmB" cabin with radio links, a tilting mechanism for the launch container, a power supply unit, and distribution boxes. Up to 18 DAR drones could be carried in this manner. The transport and reload vehicle was equipped with a loading crane.
Following the end of the project, both vehicles remained in Bundeswehr possession until they were sold via VEBEG (the German state-owned trust for disposing of surplus equipment) in 2009.
12Ausstellungstafel Drohne-Anti-Radar am Exponat in der WTS (in German). Koblenz: Daimler-Benz Aerospace Aktiengesellschaft. November 2024.
↑"Report". Wehrtechnik: Zeitschrift für Wehrtechnik und Verteidigungswirtschaft (in German). 25. Koblenz: Verlag Wehr u. Wissen: 93–41. 1993. OCLC1277043097.
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