Developed by IAI subsidiary Elta Systems Ltd., the TERRA system has the capacity to identify low-signature targets, ballistic missiles and even satellites. It combines the ULTRA UHF band system, unveiled earlier this year, which provides early warning for oncoming threats, and the SPECTRA S-band very long-range search and tracking radar system.

TERRA’s unique capabilities allow, among other things, for automatic handover and redundancy between the two systems, helping to classify targets and making it easier to determine and track their exact location, even in adverse weather conditions.

Measuring 150 square meters (1,615 square feet), TERRA is not only one of the most advanced radar systems in the world, it is also one of the biggest.

The system, which costs hundreds of millions of dollars, has been tested by an undisclosed foreign military, but has not yet been used in Israel.

The SPECTRA system functions using Active Electronic Scanned Array radar and gallium nitride, an energy-saving material that allows for higher output. It can be mounted on a ship to provide greater radar coverage, and can classify missiles and estimate impact time.

The two systems that work together to create TERRA — ULTRA and SPECTRA — are designed to operate both on their own and as a pair, providing unprecedented radar capabilities. TERRA is built in a modular fashion, so the two systems can maintain independent function if necessary.

IAI Executive Vice President and Elta President Nissim Hadas said, “The TERRA system provides outstanding performance for its users for very long-range early warning, detection and highly accurate tracking.” He said it is “designed to confront the full range of modern threats.”