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Smarter and Cheaper Radar: How Programmable Surfaces Could Transform Sensing
What is the central argument of “Smarter and Cheaper Radar”, and why does it matter for European defence and dual-use markets?
Smarter and Cheaper Radar: How Programmable Surfaces Could Transform Sensing: Modern radar systems are powerful. Defence-finance analysis; 6-page sourced DFM P…
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Original DFM publication · DFM Analysis report · 2025-11-11
Modern radar systems are powerful instruments for detecting and measuring the distance, speed, and position of objects, but their internal architecture is often complex and costly. They rely on long chains of radio-frequency components and digital processors that generate, transmit, and decode electromagnetic signals.
This complexity increases the system’s size, weight, and energy consumption. A team of researchers has now developed a simplified radar design that replaces most of this hardware with a thin programmable surface called an information metasurface.
This analysis answers: What is the central argument of “Smarter and Cheaper Radar”, and why does it matter for European defence and dual-use markets? What does this mean for European defence funding, procurement and investment decisions? How mature and defensible is the position described in “Smarter and Cheaper Radar”? Which European actors, programmes and funding instruments are most exposed?
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Original DFM analysis
Smarter and Cheaper Radar: How Programmable Surfaces Could Transform Sensing
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FAQ
What is Smarter and Cheaper Radar: How Programmable Surfaces Could Transform Sensing?
This complexity increases the system’s size, weight, and energy consumption.
Why does Smarter and Cheaper Radar: How Programmable Surfaces Could Transform Sensing matter for European defence?
A team of researchers has now developed a simplified radar design that replaces most of this hardware with a thin programmable surface called an information metasurface.
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