Announcing the launch of the cxMHR Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar at AUSA 2026 in Washington today, Leonardo DRS confirmed the radar – built for integrated air and missile defence (IAMD) applications – has already entered production.
The abbreviation expands to C-Band Extended Multi-Mission Hemispheric Radar and denotes a fully digital, software-defined, C-band AESA system with four AESA radar panels plus IFF, C2 and supporting peripherals integrated into a single, ISO-containerised system, transportable by air, land or sea and deployed on a single vehicle. It delivers continuous 360° hemispheric coverage and is designed to detect, track, and identify multiple aerial threats simultaneously, including tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, rockets, and UAS. Detection ranges extend beyond 90km against UAS and loitering munitions and to over 330km against transport aircraft, according to DRS.
The system combines AI-enabled tracking and classification to deliver fire-control-quality tracking, extended detection range and rapid target updates. It is built to MOSA standards for integration across IAMD architecture and supports interfaces including FAAD, Medusa, Sapient, Lattice, Asterix, MICAD and RAFT, among others.
“The cxMHR gives our customers a deployable, single-vehicle capability that delivers persistent 360° surveillance, long-range detection, and fire-control-quality tracking against today’s most challenging air threats,” commented Max Cohen, SVP and General Manager of Leonardo DRS RADA Technologies.
The cxMHR is being shown alongside the company’s broader Multi-Mission Hemispheric Radar family at booth 6341 in Hall D.
Main image shows a typical cxMHR installation. (Leonardo DRS)
