UK looks to demonstrate ‘generation after next' radar technologies

An Artisan 3D radar antenna in the test chamber at the BAE Systems Cowes site. (BAE Systems)

The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) is funding the radar business of BAE Systems Maritime and Land to deliver a science and technology (S&T) effort intended to demonstrate novel ‘generation after next' ultra-wideband radar with potential application to future integrated air and missile defence (IAMD).

Known as the Hyperion Core Demonstrator, the programme is being funded by the UK Missile Defence Centre (MDC) using money allocated through the MoD's chief scientific adviser. A prototype array, exploiting technology previously developed by BAE Systems' Project Theia, was shown to UK media for the first time in the fourth quarter of 2025.

According to Bryan Hore, BAE Systems' radar business development manager, the Hyperion programme is aimed at developing and evaluating advanced ultra-wideband radar technology designed to counter emerging IAMD threats. “[Theia] is a single array that can transmit and receive across a large number of frequencies and in all polarisations,” he said. “As part of the MDC funding, we submitted an option to take that low-TRL [Technology Readiness Level] array technology and demonstrate it as a radar. We've been supported by the MDC in this work.”

The Theia concept exploits highly coupled dipole arrays (HCDAs) as the basis for a wideband phased-array antenna. The transportable demonstrator cabin, featuring a small array populated by 16 gallium nitride transmit/receive modules (TRMs), has been built up at BAE Systems' Cowes facility to prove the concept.