Annual Report2023
Future Projects
How HENSOLDT
develops the products
of tomorrow
Technological progress happens faster than ever. HENSOLDT tends to be a decisive step ahead of these developments in almost all areas.
In the tech sector, AI (artificial intelligence) is without question the "next big thing". For HENSOLDT, too, it is already playing a decisive role in key areas of the portfolio. This is because the fusion of multifunctional sensors means that they are providing more and more detailed data. The resulting "flood of data" is further increased by the inclusion of additional information from the internet and social media channels - known as OSINT (Open Source Intelligence). It is essential to analyse and evaluate these volumes of data to determine actionable information - and, if necessary, to do so in real time.
HENSOLDT uses sophisticated algorithms and machine learning technology as well as data fusion technology for this purpose. This creates a completely new, comprehensive situational awareness - also through the use of AR (augmented reality) and VR (virtual reality) technologies for the digital expansion of human perception. Important things are highlighted, unimportant things are ignored. After all, knowledge is power - in the truest sense of the word - and often makes the decisive difference.
Radar of the Future -
Reconnaissance, Jamming and Communication Combined
Faster, further, more accurate - this is how you could summarise the radar development at HENSOLDT in recent years. Continuously improved, there are now specialised solutions from short to long-range. A core competence of the company for decades, they reliably perform their duties in military and civilian surveillance, reconnaissance, air defence and air traffic control worldwide.
Recent developments such as HENSOLDT's TwinSens combine the active radar technologies of the TRML‑4D with the passive technologies of Twinvis. The result: an air situation picture created in the first step without radar signals - and therefore without the risk of enemy detection, localisation and interference - in which even small flying objects such as drones can subsequently be tracked in a targeted manner.
As part of HENSOLDT's current radar family for use at sea and on land, the TRML‑4D radar is designed for ground-to-air detection at close and long range. Based on the latest sensor technology, it can simultaneously detect, track and classify different types of air targets. This makes it particularly suitable for use against small, fast and low-flying cruise missiles, drones, airplanes and helicopters. The ground-based TRML‑4D radar has been an integral part of Ukraine's air defence since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression.
Twinvis (combined from "twin" and "invisible") refers to a passive radar that cannot be located. While conventional radar systems emit signals that are reflected by an object and thus make it visible, Twinvis does not emit any signals of its own. Instead, it uses existing electromagnetic energy from radio and TV transmitters and evaluates the echoes reflected by an object. The system thus remains invisible, cannot be deliberately jammed or switched off and can even detect stealth aircraft.
But this is just the beginning. HENSOLDT is already working on the multifunctional radar of the future. With an ultra-wide frequency range, it will be able to combine state-of-the-art radar reconnaissance with communication functions and electronic countermeasures via shared hardware and software. In a multi-platform network with other similar systems, this radar of the future will exchange data. This will further increase its capabilities and overall performance. All the information exchanged can be used to create an all-encompassing situation picture that covers the near and far range. AI-supported subtasks can be dynamically adapted to the respective mission scenario.
Radar of the future
HENSOLDT uses a system demonstrator to show the potential of the radar of the future. Electronically swivelling antennas used jointly for radar, communication and electronic countermeasures increase versatility. In a multifunctional fashion, this significantly increases performance in detecting enemy targets and in electronic warfare. At the same time, data can be transmitted in large quantities – with low risk of detection by the enemy.
In a multi-platform network with other similar systems, the possibilities are multiplied: Target location and estimation of target speed are improved. In a coordinated "system of systems", enemy radio signals can be jammed more efficiently. The risk of platform losses is reduced and the stability of the overall system and redundancy are increased. Sensor failures in conflict situations can be compensated for by other sensors in the network.
HENSOLDT’s advantage: With these radar developments, HENSOLDT is already playing a decisive role in multinational future projects such as the "Future Combat Air System" (FCAS) or the European CROWN project to control the electromagnetic spectrum – because the future of radar lies in data and its AI-supported evaluation in real time.
Spectrum Dominance -
With System Responsibility
for Success
The ongoing digitalization of military missions is also reflected in the increasing interconnectedness of cross-platform systems. The dominance of the electronic spectrum is an essential prerequisite for using it in the context of wireless communication or radar systems of any kind.
Electronic signal intelligence is therefore the key to success in many conflicts. After all, if you know where the enemy's radio and radar signals are coming from, you can disrupt or disable them in a targeted manner. A distinction is made between strategic and tactical signal reconnaissance. With the Kalaetron product family, HENSOLDT is ideally positioned in both areas.
In strategic signal reconnaissance, data is collected from a great distance. It is then analysed with the help of AI, taking into account basic data such as previous reconnaissance results on military activities, intelligence or OSINT information. As part of the "Pegasus" project, HENSOLDT is tasked with realising a state-of-the-art, stand-off, comprehensive signal intelligence capability based on distributed, flying platforms.
PEGASUS (PErsistant German Airborne SUrveillance System) is a project for the German Armed Forces for strategic, airborne, long-range signal acquisition, surveillance and reconnaissance. PEGASUS is intended to record military radio traffic and radar emissions in order to create situation pictures and obtain data for self-protection systems. It is to be used for early crisis detection, situation assessment as part of crisis prevention and reconnaissance of threat situations in areas of interest and potential areas of operation.
In 2023, Pegasus reached an important milestone: following a successful performance demonstration, the German Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) approved the system architecture designed by HENSOLDT. As the system manager, HENSOLDT will equip Bombardier business jets with the necessary technology - currently one of the company's largest orders with a value of over one billion euros.
Based on the data from strategic signal reconnaissance, tactical signal reconnaissance informs military (counter) measures and must therefore detect signal sources in a limited reconnaissance area in near real time. This data is verified on site and appropriate action is taken immediately.
These can consist of electromagnetic combat measures, such as blocking ("jamming") enemy signal sources, interfering with radar or falsifying signal sources. Among other things, fake radar targets are emitted, and misinformation is deliberately generated. HENSOLDT has also developed a method for transmitting so-called "malware" and other "cyber-attacks" to enemy military systems via communication channels.
HENSOLDT's advantage: As a sensor specialist in projects such as PEGASUS, the Eurofighter, the airborne system-of-systems LUWES for electronic attacks or the air combat system of the future FCAS and with the German Bundeswehr as a reference customer, HENSOLDT is ideally positioned. As a basis for many international markets that are already showing interest. And as a system developer of future technologies that can make the difference.
Optronics -
From Imaging Sensors
to Information-Providing Systems
Optronic solutions from HENSOLDT are used worldwide in military and civilian applications for surveillance, identification, classification and target detection. Through the fusion of different sensors, so-called "multi-sensor fusion", imaging sensors are evolving into information-providing systems: a situation is no longer just recorded but analysed directly.
HENSOLDT shows what is already possible today in its Military Utility Vehicle (MUV) concept demonstrator. It features the HENSOLDT SETAS (Situational Awareness) systems for all-round visibility of up to 300 meters by day and night, as well as the MUSS self-protection system, which combines UV and laser warning sensors for detecting guided missiles and target acquisition lasers with direction finders, warning and jamming transmitters and radar, and can automatically initiate countermeasures.
HENSOLDT's modular CERETRON software solution forms the core of this technology. It links different sensor systems with each other, merges their data, enriches it with different AI modules and analyses it. In doing so, CERETRON obtains information from sensor data and generates a real-time situation picture that can be displayed on a tactical situation map, visualized using augmented reality or shared with other users through the digital interconnection of operations.
HENSOLDT's advantage: As a milestone in current development, CERETRON heralds a paradigm shift driven by increasing digitalization and the use of AI. The Next Generation scout vehicle is the first example of this change. Unlike in the past, the focus here is not on the vehicle, but on the sensor systems installed on it. Different types of sensors, such as electro-optics, radio direction finders, laser warning systems and acoustic sensors are linked together. Together, they generate a better situational picture faster than before, including automated friend or foe identification. Strategically important enemy targets such as command vehicles or command centres can be located and identified, and the vehicle and its crew can be protected by the early detection of lasers and muzzle flashes.
Naval Solutions -
See and Not Be Seen
To date, HENSOLDT has manufactured more than 3,000 periscopes and optronic mast systems for 24 navies worldwide. As the market leader for equipping non-nuclear-powered submarines with a tradition dating back to 1903. Back then, the submarine "Forelle" ("trout”) was equipped with the world's first fully functional periscope. A lot has happened since then and today the industry is once again on the threshold of a new technological era. At its Oberkochen site, HENSOLDT is expanding its already highly complex optronic periscope solutions with a far-reaching day and night vision capability, which is merged into a situation picture in the "Bluekite" sensor network. In addition to direct vision, the all-round view is also possible on screens.
With the "Bluekite" sensor, three cameras provide high-resolution images during the day, in hazy weather conditions and at night. The extremely compact sensor network is integrated into an optronic mast and barely visible both visually and via radar. This increases the safety of the submarine and its crew. With AI for target identification and tracking, a clear situation picture is created on the screens.
For the first time, HENSOLDT is offering a complete solution from a single source that can be used both for the construction of new submarines and for the modernization of existing ones. It also complements traditional periscopes, which are still used in many submarines for a quick all-round view and in the event of power failures.
HENSOLDT's advantage: As a provider of a complete solution, the highly complex submarines, which consist of up to ten times more parts than a long-haul aircraft and rarely visit a shipyard for overhaul, can be retrofitted quickly and flexibly. The system is already being further developed so that it can also be used in unmanned submarines for mine warfare, surveillance and reconnaissance missions in the future.
Land EW -
Detecting a Conflict
Before it Starts
HENSOLDT solutions for electronic warfare on land (Land Electronic Warfare – “Land EW”) provide crucial information about the current military situation. They include rapidly deployable, portable reconnaissance systems as well as sophisticated combinations of communication and jamming technologies integrated into vehicles or shelters.
Essential for the support and protection of ground forces, the advanced systems also enable dynamic mission planning and control in real time. This enables forces to identify threats at an early stage and effectively initiate countermeasures - both manually and automatically. HENSOLDT solutions for electronic warfare on land are therefore an indispensable component of modern, effective military operations.
The true strength of HENSOLDT sensor technology is demonstrated by an example of complex challenges in modern warfare: detecting the radio communications of enemy reconnaissance or artillery units, which also change their frequencies quickly and skilfully. HENSOLDT sensor technology not only precisely detects the correct frequency but can also use advanced AI technologies to disrupt the signal in the shortest possible time.
To do this, reconnaissance systems such as radars and direction finders must work seamlessly with the corresponding radar and radio jammers.
With new vehicle-based EW systems, which HENSOLDT supplies to NATO partners, the components can be assembled according to customer requirements and in line with the vehicle.
HENSOLDT's advantage: As in all areas of HENSOLDT, the amount of data to be processed in "Land EW" is constantly increasing. Only through the use of AI can this data be transmitted, classified and analysed (keyword "big data") almost in real time and even used to derive targeted countermeasures. In cognitive systems, the system even adapts to unexpected situations on the battlefield on a self-learning basis. At the same time, AI helps to prepare all data for user-friendly and uniform operation.
Future Technology
That Can Predict Actions
HENSOLDT sensor technology can already generate a comprehensive picture of the situation in both the civilian and military sectors, including across all branches of the armed forces. Data and its AI-supported processing and evaluation are playing an increasingly important role in this. This "big data" flows together with other information - for example from satellites and OSINT - and is also merged with the help of AI and machine learning. This not only allows the actions of the enemy to be analysed in real time, but in many cases their future actions can already be predicted. For the protection of the forces, buildings and infrastructure, for the safety of people and material and with the latest future technology from HENSOLDT.