KuRFS (Ku-band Radio Frequency Sensor)

KuRFS is a ground-deployable active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar operating in the Ku band (approximately 12–18 GHz). Its short-wavelength operation produces substantially sharper image resolution than lower-frequency radars, enabling the system to discriminate simultaneously among multiple small, closely spaced objects — a critical capability when UAS threats are operating as a swarm rather than a singleton. The array rotates through a full 360-degree field of regard continuously, providing persistent hemispheric surveillance with no blind sectors.

The sensor is used primarily as the detection and fire-control layer in ground-based counter-UAS engagements. It cues kinetic effectors — most commonly the Coyote interceptor — and can also direct non-kinetic options including high-energy lasers, 30 mm cannons, and land-based Phalanx installations. KuRFS is the radar backbone of the U.S. Army's Low, slow, small UAS Integrated Defeat System (LIDS) and has been validated through U.S. Army summer test events, where it tracked a coordinated swarm of more than 30 simultaneous UAVs.

A procurement engineer selects KuRFS for its combination of broad threat coverage (Group 1–3 UAS plus RAM — rockets, artillery, mortars), its 15 km-class detection range against the smallest drone classes, and its rapid setup time of under 30 minutes either on a fixed pad or vehicle-mounted. The system's ability to classify biological versus non-biological returns, and to detect objects as small as a 9 mm bullet, reduces false-alarm burden on the operator. For GCC operators, the combination of high-density airspace (civil and military UAVs co-existing), desert-environment radar propagation, and the region's documented interest in LIDS-class systems makes KuRFS directly relevant to airport perimeter defence, critical-infrastructure protection, and deployed-force coverage.