ELM-2106 ATAR

Quick Facts

Role and Mobility	Medium-Range Tactical Air Defense and Surveillance; Fixed or Road-Mobile
Frequency	L-Band
Range	Fighter Aircraft: 70-110 km Hovering Helicopters: 40 km UAVs and Ultra Lights: 40-60 km
Air Defense Interceptor Systems	Surface-to-Air Interceptor Systems, MANPADS, and SPYDER Air Defense System
Targets	Low Velocity Targets, Ultra-Light Targets, Helicopters, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, and Fighter Aircraft
Status/Exports	Operational; India
Producer	ELTA Systems LTD.

Overview

The ELM-2106 Advanced Tactical Acquisition Radar (ATAR) is a 3D solid state L-Band medium range tactical radar with Active Electronically Steering Array (AESA) in elevation.[i] The ATAR can be deployed as a local air defense system radar providing warning and target designation to Surface-to-Air weapon systems, like MANPADS. The system is field proven in noisy and high-clutter environments and has electronic counter-countermeasures (ECCM).[ii] The radar can also track up to 500 targets simultaneously.[iii]

Strategic Implications

The ATAR is a strategically valuable radar because it is very versatile, making it usable in various threat environments. For example, the radar can be fixed on the ground, on a tower or it can be transported on a truck, allowing the radar location to be changed based on the type of threat.[iv] The ATAR is particularly valuable for Israel because it can detect and designate different air targets in high clutter environments like the Middle East and it can designate threats versus non-threats in high-conflict areas, so mistakes are limited.[v] Lastly, the ATAR can work with a variety of Surface-to-Air missile systems, like MANPADS or SPYDER, allowing it to detect, track, and plan launches for interceptions.