At the 9th edition of the Eastern Border Protection Trade Show BORDERS 2026, scheduled for June 24-25 at Targi Lublin, Warsaw-based company Forcepol presented, among other things, the Weibel Scientific A/S Xenta-M 3D short-range tactical air defense radar from Denmark, which will form part of the San counter-drone program.
Photos: Grzegorz Sobczak, MILMAG
The Xenta-M radars will form part of 18 battery module systems (BMO) of anti-aircraft systems with counter-unmanned aerial systems capability, codenamed San, financed from a loan under the EU SAFE (Security Action for Europe) instrument. The program has a total value of 15 billion PLN.
One radar with an IFF (Identification Friend or Foe) system has been ordered per BMO. These will be complemented by Polish FIELDctrl Ultra and FIELDctrl Follow radars from APS at fire platoon level, as well as portable Skyperion Lightweight drone detection, tracking, and identification systems.
The Xenta-M is, as the Danish manufacturer emphasizes, a revolutionary compact three-dimensional radar designed as a key sensor for short- and very short-range air defense (SHORAD/VSHORAD) systems and counter-drone (C-UAS) systems. The system redefines airspace protection through a unique combination of digital radar beamforming and continuous wave technology.
Key features and advantages:
- Wide target spectrum: simultaneous detection of extreme threats – from supersonic cruise missiles to miniature and slow-moving drones (LSS class);
- Micro-Doppler technology: precisely distinguishes drones from birds and terrain clutter through rotor blade motion detection;
- Search on the Move: scanning and tracking of targets while a vehicle column is in motion;
- Mobility: compact housing enabling mounting on light armored vehicles or masts;
- Stop & Stare mode: fire control station function for anti-aircraft artillery and missile systems.
Technical specifications and ranges:
- Antenna and band: X-band, active electronically scanned array (AESA) antenna manufactured using gallium nitride (GaN) technology;
- Signal processing: 3D digital array beamforming and frequency-modulated continuous wave (FMCW/MFCW);
- Instrumented range: 50, 60, or 75 km (depending on variant);
- Drone detection (DJI Phantom class): detection at over 7 km, classification at over 5 km;
- Coverage: 360 degrees in azimuth and up to 60 degrees in elevation.
At the BORDERS 2026 trade show, Forcepol also presented a sensor that is not part of the San system but is likewise intended to support counter-drone operations, particularly in the context of state border protection. This is the Discovair G+ Intelligent Acoustic Array for Drone Detection and Classification from Norwegian company Squarehead Technology AS.
This is an advanced, fully passive next-generation acoustic sensor designed to fill gaps in traditional counter-drone systems. The sensor uses an array of directional microphones and machine learning (artificial intelligence) algorithms for the immediate detection, tracking, and identification of unmanned aerial vehicles based on the sound emissions of their propellers and engines.
Key features and advantages:
- 100% passive operation: the device emits no radio or radar signals, making it completely undetectable;
- No line-of-sight (No LoS) requirement: tracks drones behind obstacles, inside buildings (urban canyons), in fog, and in darkness;
- AI filtering: algorithms eliminate false alarms, ignoring birds, wind, and ambient noise;
- Jamming resistance: effective operation under electronic warfare (EW) conditions and in the absence of GPS/GNSS signal.
Technical specifications and capabilities:
- Technology: array of 128 directional microphones supported by an HD camera for visual target verification;
- On-edge processing: signal analysis directly on the device (minimal latency);
- Operating modes:
– Hemispherical (360 degrees) – full protective dome;
– Directional (105 degrees) – monitoring of a selected sector. - Target classification: detects commercial drones and Class I and II military drones (multirotor and fixed-wing);
- Construction: man-portable mobile device, easy to deploy by a single soldier;
- Durability and power: IP65/IP67 ingress protection rating, low power consumption (powered by field batteries).