Annual Report2023
Radars in Action
How HENSOLDT
technology
saves lives
in Ukraine
HENSOLDT's TRML‑4D high-performance radar plays a crucial role in Ukraine's air defence. It successfully defends cities such as Kyiv and Odessa against Russian drone and missile attacks and saves lives.
Despite international protest and repeated condemnation by the United Nations on several occasions, Russia repeatedly attacks civilian targets in Ukraine with cruise missiles, rockets and drones in order to demoralise the population. In doing so, the aggressor deliberately accepts the death of civilians. HENSOLDT technology helps to intercept the missiles before they reach their target.
Right at the beginning of the war, HENSOLDT delivered its own COBRA reference system to Ukraine at the request of the German government. It was clear from the outset that Ukraine's air defence would play a decisive role. COBRA is one of the most powerful and mobile radars on the market. It can be used to locate enemy artillery positions and thus neutralise them in a targeted manner.
However, the TRML‑4D high-performance radar from HENSOLDT made the decisive difference. As part of the IRIS-T SLM air defence system from Diehl Defense, it detects, tracks, classifies and identifies enemy missiles in order to subsequently lead guided missiles to the target with maximum accuracy. An immediate success check shows whether a second missile is required for defence.
TRML‑4D: Multifunctional
Air Surveillance and
Target Acquisition
Based on the TRS‑4D maritime radar, HENSOLDT has developed an even more powerful system for air defence in recent years with the land-based TRML‑4D. It uses the latest AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array) radar technology with multiple digitally shaped beams. It can detect, track, identify and classify around 1,500 targets simultaneously within a radius of up to 250 km, displayed in three dimensions. The focus is on small, fast and low-flying cruise missiles, drones, airplanes and helicopters. Even missiles as small as 10 by 10 centimetres or the particularly fast hypersonic missiles can be located early enough.
Low-maintenance and user-friendly, the TRML‑4D also has a decisive technological advantage. As the radar antennas only transmit in the C-band, missiles can be guided with particular accuracy. In Ukraine, the TRML‑4D was not only able to demonstrate its capabilities. It also showed that the radar can work flexibly even with American and older Soviet-designed air defence systems.
A Success Story
in Production and Training
HENSOLDT delivered the first TRML‑4D high-performance radars to Ukraine in 2022. They were made operational literally "overnight": when an error message occurred during the final acceptance test of the first TRML‑4D, originally planned for another partner, on a Friday, the team worked through the entire weekend to replace a component. By 00:15 on Sunday morning, the sensor was functional again. The TRML‑4D was transported to Ukraine on the same day.
In 2023, the team was honoured with the HENSOLDT Award - an acknowledgement in which HENSOLDT employees choose their favourite from more than 100 nominations every year.
For the first time in real war operations in Ukraine, the TRML‑4D quickly demonstrated its true capabilities in protecting critical infrastructure and the civilian population in Kyiv and Odessa as well as other cities. At the express request of the Ukrainian and German governments, HENSOLDT succeeded in ramping up production within a very short time. Thanks to its user-friendliness, a two-week training course at HENSOLDT is all that is needed to familiarise the Ukrainian soldiers with the device.
By the end of 2023, more than ten units were already in reliable service in Ukraine. And HENSOLDT is working at high speed to provide the necessary maintenance and any spare parts required to continue supporting the soldiers on the ground.
Thank you HENSOLDT!
Ukrainian officials have already thanked HENSOLDT and its employees on several occasions. However, a letter from the head of the Ukrainian Air Force to HENSOLDT provided a special moment when it was read out to some 200 members of the TRML‑4D team. The letter reads:
"The Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine presents its compliments to HENSOLDT (...). According to the results of the use of the TRML‑4D radar by the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, its high effectiveness to detect the entire range of threats has been confirmed. (...) I take this opportunity, to extend the highest regard and respect to HENSOLDT Company for its support of Ukraine."
TRML‑4D: An Important
Future Product for HENSOLDT
The Russian attack on Ukraine underlines the relevance of military capabilities to protect human lives and infrastructure. Air defence in particular is playing an increasingly important role. This is also evident in the "European Skyshield Initiative" (ESSI) initiated by Germany to strengthen joint air defence, which 19 European countries had already joined by the end of 2023.
As a powerful, operationally proven high-performance radar - also in addition to or in competition with rival systems - HENSOLDT's TRML‑4D can contribute to the early detection and defence against threats. In September 2023, the Baltic states of Estonia and Latvia signed procurement contracts. The German Bundestag also approved the procurement for the German Armed Forces in 2023. Initial inquiries have also been received from non-European countries.
With the appropriate backing from the government and as an important future product for air defence, HENSOLDT is therefore aiming to increase production of the TRML‑4D to up to 15 units per year. As the defence of Ukraine has shown: TRML‑4D can save lives.