Teledyne FLIR ships 3,000th Ranger radar from Quebec plant

Teledyne FLIR Defense has built and shipped its 3,000th Ranger surveillance radar system from its production facility in Laval, Quebec, the company announced.

The Ranger series has been shipped to more than 40 countries. Customers use the radars for border security, defense operations, and counter-unmanned aircraft systems, deploying them to protect borders, airports, seaports and other critical infrastructure. The systems operate from fixed or mobile sites and can track hundreds of targets simultaneously.

Teledyne FLIR Defense began manufacturing radar at the Laval facility in 2005. In 2017, Engineers Canada gave the Ranger R20SS a National Engineering Product Award, an honor reserved for the country’s most innovative engineering achievements. That radar variant was recognized for detecting a person crawling at speeds under 10 centimeters per second at a range of 3 kilometers (1.9 miles), while measuring speed differences of less than 0.1 millisecond.

Pierre Poitevin, vice president of radar systems at Teledyne FLIR Defense, credited the company’s engineering team for the production milestone.

“Celebrating the 3,000th Ranger radar manufactured and deployed from Laval is a landmark moment reflecting both the talent and tenacity of our team,” said Poitevin. “This milestone is a testament to our skilled engineers and Canada’s significant contributions to the global defense industry.”

Poitevin also addressed how the company positions the radar against emerging threats.

“As threats become more sophisticated and difficult to detect, we’re proud to provide reliable radar solutions that push the boundaries of what our customers can achieve while surveilling the land, sea and air,” said Poitevin.

The company said it upgraded the Ranger series’ software this year, adding 360-degree Fast Scan capability with higher refresh rates and what it described as earlier threat warnings and improved tracking accuracy. The upgrade also added greater elevation coverage and AI-enabled radar processing intended to improve target classification.

Teledyne FLIR Defense offers the Ranger series in multiple configurations, form factors, detection ranges and scan rates. The company’s product line includes the Ranger R20-3DX, marketed for combined air and ground drone surveillance in full perimeter protection roles.