The European Commission has awarded funding of €1.12 Million through the Horizon 2020 SME Instrument Phase 2 Program to Arralis, who specialise in leading-edge, high definition radar and ultra-fast data communications in the Aerospace and Satellite sectors.

In response to the announcement Horizon 2020 Program Manager, Marie Bourke, said ‘The Arralis team are really excited to continue this cutting edge development through the critical stage of commercialisation’.

Arralis designs and manufactures high frequency semiconductor chips, modules and antennas up to and beyond 110GHz. Under this program Arralis will commercialise ground-breaking radar technology, a 94GHz Phase Shifting Radar (PSR94) front end, which is to be sold primarily to millimetre wave radar systems manufacturers in the aerospace sector. It will be the world’s first electronically scanned radar front end at 94GHz.

Current technology using mechanically scanning beams at high frequency are physically large, have large power requirements and offer reduced reliability due to the many moving parts. The PSR94 RF front end includes an electronically scanning antenna with no moving parts which is much smaller, has wider scanning angles, is bi-directional, is much cheaper to manufacture and has low power consumption.

The PSR94 will enable Arralis customers to have a light and highly accurate radar that can be implemented into a wide range of applications. Space applications such as un-manned space probes, space debris avoidance and also weather radar and earth observation satellites require high reliability which is a key feature of the PSR94. In the aviation sector landing helicopters in very poor visibility, such as dusty conditions (brownouts), causes GPS systems and infra-red devices to be inaccurate. The PSR94 has the capability to produce high resolution imagery in these difficult conditions. In airports, the PSR94 can be used to identify runway debris which may be a potential danger to aircrafts.

Speaking on the announcement Arralis COO, Eamonn Boland said “We see this as a further endorsement of our engineering team to develop novel technology which is also highly desirable commercially”.

The background Arralis 94GHz MMICs technology has been developed through a supply contract with the European Space Agency (ESA) supported by Enterprise Ireland.

About Arralis

Arralis is a Limerick-based company, with a further facility in Belfast, that specialises in leading-edge, high definition radar and ultra-fast data communications in the Aerospace and Satellite markets. The company has developed world-leading expertise in Radio Frequency, micro and millimetre-wave technology. Their products, which are the ultimate in precision and innovation, are used in both global and space environments where accuracy and reliability are critical. Arralis manufactures millimetre wave semiconductor devices, modules and antennas and provide the Invisible Edge to some of the world’s largest aerospace and security companies.

About European Commission

The European Commission is the EU’s executive body. It represents the interests of the European Union as a whole (not the interests of individual countries). The Commission’s main roles are to: propose legislation which is then adopted by the co-legislators, the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers, enforce European law (where necessary with the help of the Court of Justice of the EU) set a objectives and priorities for action, outlined yearly in the Commission Work Program and work towards delivering them, manage and implement EU policies and the budget represent the Union outside Europe (negotiating trade agreements between the EU and other countries, for example.). The European Commission has its headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, and some services also in Luxembourg. The Commission has Representations in all EU Member States and 139 Delegations across the globe.

About Horizon 2020

Horizon 2020 is the current EU framework program for research and innovation. With a budget of nearly €80 billion, Horizon 2020 will run over seven years from 2014 – 2020. Horizon 2020 is the successor program to FP7 (Framework Program 7) and is the largest ever research and innovation program in the EU. Horizon 2020 has a simpler structure than previous programs with less red tape making it easier to apply.  For general information and further details about each of these pillars, visit the main webpage of Horizon 2020.

Issued by:

Arralis

For more information contact:

Marie Bourke, Arralis marie.bourke@arralis.com