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2023-10-01

Embraer’s M200 Vigilante Radar Flies High

Embraer and the Brazilian Army recently completed the first test of the M200 Vigilante radar, including the deployment of the equipment on the KC-390 aircraft from the Brazilian Air Force (FAB).

The radar operation was carried out at Júlio Belém Airport, located in Parintins, during June and July. The Parintins City Hall, Júlio Belém Airport, and Viracopos International Airport supported the initiative. The location was chosen due to the Parintins Folkloric Festival, an event that causes a significant increase in air traffic in the region. Thousands of visitors accessed the city this year through Júlio Belém Airport, resulting in more than 800 landings and take-offs in one week.

“The Parintins Folkloric Festival allowed us to test M200 Vigilante’s performance in the Amazon rainforest challenging environment. Embraer’s joint operation with the Brazilian Army and the Brazilian Air Force demonstrated the radar’s versatility, agility, precision, and robustness already in its first operation. We are very pleased with the results. This is an important step for the effective and future operational use from the Armed Forces in Brazil and abroad,” said Bosco da Costa Junior, President and CEO of Embraer Defense & Security.

The M200 Vigilante radar was transported for the first time on a KC-390 on a three-hour journey between Campinas, in São Paulo state, and the city located in the Amazon rainforest. The sensor continuously monitored air traffic within a 200 km range of the airport, working together with CINDACTA IV flight controllers. CINDACTA IV is the Brazilian Air Force agency responsible for flight monitoring in the northern region of the country.

“We are proud to join and contribute to this important event in the Amazon region. The partnership and joint development between the Brazilian Army and Embraer have built the technological autonomy of digital radars (phased array) for more than 15 years. Carrying out this exercise was another important step in verifying M200 Vigilante’s technical characteristics. This will expand the capabilities of our troops and keep the operation in progress with the support of the Brazilian Defense Industrial Cluster,” added Gen. Achilles Furlan Neto, Chief of the Army Science and Technology Department.

Operational Autonomy

The M200 Vigilante radar is a medium-range sensor aimed at Air Surveillance and Early Warning applications. Using advanced processing techniques, it can identify and track positions and trajectories, as well as classify targets. It has an integrated power generation system, which reportedly guarantees operation autonomy for up to 48 hours and ease of transport by land and air platforms.

The Brazilian radar was developed to support the country’s anti-aircraft defence units, as well as to increase Embraer’s product portfolio and export integrated defence systems. The synergy between the Brazilian Army and Embraer has made it possible to achieve Brazilian autonomy in the development of the technological capability of the native digital radars. The new radars are made with phased array technology, which will expand troops’ capabilities.

The new Brazilian radar will have the objective of meeting the needs of the Brazilian Armed Forces in their low-altitude surveillance missions of anti-aircraft defence. Developed in Brazil by Embraer and the Army Technological Center (CTEx), a military organisation part of the Army’s Science, Technology and Innovation System (SCTIEx), the M200 Vigilante radar aims to furnish the Ground Force’s Anti-Aircraft Artillery Units, powered by up-to-date radar technologies, available only in a few countries.

The new development will integrate into the family of Brazilian radars, which includes the SABER M60 radar, focused on the search of air targets and integrated into an Anti-Aircraft Operations Center, and the SENTIR M20 radar, for monitoring ground targets and being used in the Brazilian Border Monitoring System (SISFRON).

A global aerospace company headquartered in Brazil, Embraer operates in the Commercial Aviation, Executive Aviation, Defense & Security, and Agricultural Aviation segments. On average, every 10 seconds, an aircraft manufactured by Embraer takes off from somewhere in the world, carrying more than 145 million passengers annually. Embraer is a leading manufacturer of commercial jets with up to 150 seats and Brazil’s main exporter of high-value-added goods.

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