During the Future Forces Forum exhibition held in Prague from 17th till 19th October the Military Research Institute (VVÚ) Brno unveiled a prototype of passive direction finding ELINT/ESM system. It detects radio electronic signals in frequency range 1-18 GHz and 32-38.5 GHz using the interferometric method. The prototype has capability of data interchange with other ISR devices used by the Czech Armes Forces and NATO. It is mounted on the Iveco LMV vehicle.
The Military Research Institute is a state enterprise and it is the only state-owned company issued by Ministry of Defence that holds the character of a research institute. It ensures meeting strategic and other significant interests of the state in the field of defence and security, the development of capacities of the Army of the Czech Republic, armed forces and the Emergency System of the Czech Republic as well as it performs the activities of industrial and business nature to ensure supplies and services needed to guarantee the defence and safety of the Czech Republic and discharges liabilities based on the membership in NATO and the EU.
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Janes.com informs that the fully passive system, developed by Military Research Institute Brno, provides broadband seeking, detection, and identification of electronic and radio sources. SRTP uses a phase interferometer for monitoring and direction-finding of signal sources, and can analyse other data, for example, type of detected radar and its current operating mode. One receiving station can determine the signal's direction of arrival, and two stations can be used to determine the position of origin.
The SRTP system has a frequency range of 1-18 GHz and 32-38.5 GHz. The bandwidth is up to 200 MHz. The antenna on a tilting mast has a 360° rotation and elevation of ±30°. According to the Czech Army, the system has an arc of immediate reconnaissance of 90° (±45°), the receivers have a sensitivity at least -75 dBm in all bands, the impulse width is at least 100 ns, and pulse repetition intervals are at least 1.5 µs.
The SRTP system is mounted on an Iveco LMV 4×4 armoured vehicle. A modular design enables the whole system to be operated up to 100 m from the vehicle, where the antenna is placed on a 4-m high portable mast.
Czech Army is currently operating 120 Iveco 4x4 Light Multirole Vehicles (LMV), delivered between 2008 and 2013 in 11 variants. An order for 80 new vehicles for the 31st Regiment of Radiological, Chemical and Biological Protection in Liberec was placed in July 2018. The contract with the VOP CZ and VVÚ Brno has been signed on 30th August.
See also: Czech Army’s Modernization Projects: Light Armoured Vehicles