What Is 3D Security Radar?

As the threat landscape continues to evolve, new technologies are required to enhance security at critical infrastructure and other secure sites. Today, drones and dark drones are threats that legacy security deployments are ill-equipped to handle. 3D security radar enables comprehensive monitoring of potential threats both on the ground and in the air over a wide area. It operates effectively in all weather and lighting conditions, providing precise directional information about moving objects in three dimensions. This advanced technology significantly enhances situational awareness, allowing security teams to respond more quickly and effectively to potential threats.

Advantages of 3D security radar?

Unlike conventional 2D radar for security, which only provides information on the range and azimuth (horizontal direction) of objects, 3D radar delivers additional data on the elevation (vertical position) of moving objects. This added dimension enables a much more accurate location of intrusions, whether they occur on the ground or in the surrounding. For example, 3D radar can distinguish between a low-flying drone and a ground vehicle, providing a clearer picture of the threat landscape.

High-performance 3D radar systems continuously scan their environment, tracking the position, speed, and direction of multiple objects simultaneously. This capability is crucial for detecting and responding to complex security scenarios, such as coordinated drone swarms or multi-vector attacks, where threats may come from different directions and altitudes.

Advanced 3D radar systems reflect a combination of hardware with advanced software to extend performance and satisfy more mission requirements.  A powerful suite of off-radar software tools tunes the radar for site and mission requirements, visualizes radar performance, and intelligently networks radars using features like a single-track ID and smart handoffs between radars. These combined factors help identify the type of object being detected—such as differentiating between a bird, a drone, or an aircraft—based on its movement characteristics. This level of detail allows security teams to prioritize responses and allocate resources more effectively, ensuring that the most significant threats are addressed promptly.

Who Needs 3D Security Radar?

3D security radar is essential for the protection of critical infrastructure and secure sites, which increasingly experience drone intrusions. Facilities such as power plants, water treatment facilities, and airports are often targets for such incursions, making robust and reliable radar surveillance a critical component of their security protocols.

Critical Infrastructure

In recent years, perimeter intrusions by drones have become increasingly common. Facilities such as substations, water storage, nuclear sites and prisons need to detect intrusions both on the ground and in the air. 3D security radar serves as a technological force-multiplier, helping staff at these sites maintain situational awareness while easing operational burden.

Modern airports and ports face a variety of threats, including drones interfering with safe ground operations and the movement of aircraft in and out of the immediate airspace. To ensure safety, security teams need accurate 3D situational awareness in all conditions. 3D security radar is a vital tool that can detect and track various potential threats from a distance, including drones and dark drones.

Public Safety Teams

At VIP events and large public gatherings, a drone controlled by a nefarious or incompetent operator can pose a significant security risk. Ensuring the security of both the airspace and the ground requires public safety deployments are anchored with comprehensive situational awareness. 3D security radar allows teams to quickly detect potential threats and make informed decisions to ensure safety.

Products for 3D Security

EchoGuard Radar


EchoGuard
offers unmatched accuracy and performance, improving situational awareness for 3D security applications. Utilizing Echodyne’s proprietary metamaterials electronically scanned array (MESA) technology and Doppler capabilities, EchoGuard delivers precise data in a compact, cost accessible package.

EchoGuard integrates seamlessly with existing command and control (C2) or video management systems (VMS) and works in harmony with other sensors. It features industry-standard interfaces for power and data, is weather-resistant even in extreme temperatures, and has no moving parts.

This radar system can track a small fixed-wing aircraft at a distance of 2.5 km and a human at 2.2 km. It can even track objects as small as a Nano UAS at 250 meters. EchoGuard maintains tracking capabilities for up to 20 objects across a 120° azimuth x 80° elevation field of view (FoV).

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