Passive and multi-static radar systems are reshaping how militaries detect stealthy targets without revealing their own position. Instead of one transmitter and receiver, these systems spread multiple sensors across a wide area, exploiting reflections from separate sources. Their strength lies in stealth and coverage — but their success depends entirely on synchronising every node with extreme precision. Multi-Static Radar Synchronisation is one of the twelve core problem statements at the BDTS Hyderabad Strategic Colloquium 2026.
The Power of Going Passive
A passive radar emits no signal of its own, making it very hard for an adversary to locate or jam. Multi-static geometries add resilience and can detect low-observable aircraft that defeat conventional radar. For India's layered air defence, these systems offer a covert, survivable sensing layer. But coordinating distributed nodes is far from trivial.
Why Timing Is Everything
To combine returns from geographically separated sensors, each node must share a common, nanosecond-accurate time reference. Even tiny timing errors smear target locations and destroy detection accuracy. Achieving robust synchronisation across nodes — resistant to GPS denial and network latency — requires innovation in precise clocks, distributed processing and secure timing distribution.
Bringing Solutions to BDTS Hyderabad
This is a rich opportunity for deep-tech startups in signal processing and precision timing, and for MSMEs building the hardware backbone. The BDTS colloquium curates such capability and channels it toward Lead System Integrators. Innovators solving this problem statement gain user-end feedback, a Technical Action Report, and inclusion in the post-event synthesis report shared with the MOD and DRDO for procurement pathways. With adversaries fielding ever stealthier platforms, a robust indigenous passive-radar layer offers India a resilient, hard-to-counter sensing advantage that complements its active radar network.
Event: BDTS Hyderabad Strategic Colloquium 2026
Date: 01 October 2026
Venue: BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus
Website: www.bharatdefencetechshow.com