British Army Expands Surveillance Capabilities with Elbit Systems' GBSR Radar
Elbit Systems UK is delivering 90 Ground-Based Surveillance Radar units to the British Army, enhancing frontline threat detection with advanced, portable technology
Photo: Elbit Systems UK website
Elbit Systems UK, a subsidiary of Israeli Defense giant Elbit Systems is in the process of delivering Ground-Based Surveillance Radar (GBSR) units to the British Army. These radars are deployed to detect threats at short and medium ranges on the front line. This, according to a publication in Army Recognition.
At the end of May 2023, the UK Ministry of Defense (MoD) awarded Elbit Systems UK a contract to supply 90 GBSR systems to the British Army, with an option to purchase an additional 40 units, according to Elbit's announcement.
Currently, the company is in the process of delivering these 90 systems before the end of the year, while some units are already deployed among NATO forces, an Elbit spokesperson revealed.
The GBSR can detect individuals at a range of up to 5 km, light vehicles at 12 km, main battle tanks at 25 km, as well as uncrewed systems and both fixed-wing and rotary aircraft. A single system includes a radar head, a highly stable tripod, and either a ten-inch grid tablet or a laptop.
The website notes that, according to experts, a fires team should ideally deploy five systems simultaneously for greater coverage, with one GBSR covering up to 40 km. The system is designed to be portable, with a single unit packed into two bags weighing no more than 18 kilograms. While NATO users requested that Elbit Systems UK package each system into two bags, the British Army required the radar components to be distributed among three bags.
Army Technology suggests that such a portable radar system could prove highly useful in modern high-intensity warfare, where troops may be entrenched in defensible positions. This is particularly evident in Ukraine, where such systems would enhance troops' ability to detect nearby threats in a clearer battlespace.
At a time when U.S. security ties with Europe are weakening due to U.S. President Donald Trump's security policy, it appears that the British military is prioritizing investment in alternative security solutions, such as the GBSR radar from Israeli company Elbit.
