DRDO Showcases 'Shyen' Sensor Suite for Indian Navy's Dornier Do 228 at Aero India 2025

At Aero India 2025, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) introduced the 'Shyen' sensor suite, a state-of-the-art upgrade designed for the Indian Navy's Dornier Do 228 maritime patrol aircraft. This advanced suite aims to significantly enhance the aircraft's surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities, ensuring superior maritime domain awareness.

Comprehensive Sensor Integration

The 'Shyen' sensor suite integrates multiple cutting-edge systems to provide a holistic surveillance solution:

• Maritime Surveillance Radar ('Kshitij'): A long-range, multirole active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar system. 'Kshitij' offers spot/strip synthetic aperture radar (SAR) modes and a ground moving target indicator (GMTI) mode for effective ground surveillance. It also includes weather and search-and-rescue functionalities.

• Electronic Support Measures (ESM) System: This component offers wideband coverage from very high frequency (VHF) to Ka-band frequencies, ensuring a high probability of intercept. It is crucial for electronic warfare and intelligence gathering by detecting enemy radar emissions.

• Electro-Optic/Infrared (EO/IR) System: Engineered to deliver high-definition imagery, this system significantly improves target identification and reconnaissance capabilities from the air.

• Software Defined Radio (SDR) Communication Suite: Ensures that all sensor data can be effectively relayed back to naval commanders, facilitating real-time decision-making and operational coordination.

Advanced Technological Features

The 'Kshitij' radar stands out with its integration of approximately 600 gallium nitride (GaN)-based transmit/receive (T/R) modules, arranged in a tiled configuration. This design enables sub-meter resolution in target detection, marking a significant advancement in India's radar technology.

Furthermore, the radar system incorporates an automatic identification system (AIS), EO/IR imaging, and Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast (ADS-B). It employs artificial intelligence (AI) for enhanced target classification, ensuring precise and efficient identification of maritime threats.

Enhancing the Dornier Do 228's Capabilities

The integration of the 'Shyen' sensor suite transforms the Dornier Do 228 into a formidable asset for maritime patrol missions. The aircraft, known for its reliability and versatility, now boasts enhanced avionics, better fuel efficiency, advanced radar systems, improved maneuverability, integrated surveillance systems, and upgraded electronic warfare capabilities.

These upgrades align with the Indian Navy's objective to bolster maritime security and surveillance, ensuring that the Dornier Do 228 remains a critical component in safeguarding India's maritime interests.

The unveiling of the 'Shyen' sensor suite at Aero India 2025 underscores DRDO's commitment to advancing indigenous defense technologies, contributing to a more self-reliant and secure maritime defense infrastructure.