Leonardo DRS Launches cxMHR C-Band Radar for Air and Missile Defence
Leonardo DRS has launched cxMHR, a fully digital C-band active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar for integrated air and missile defence, and says initial production of the system is already under way. The U.S. subsidiary of Italy’s Leonardo unveiled the radar on October 12 at the Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA) Annual Meeting and Exposition in Washington, D.C., positioning it as a single-vehicle sensor able to provide persistent 360-degree coverage against drones, rockets and missiles.
A complete sensor in one container
The name stands for C-Band Extended Multi-Mission Hemispheric Radar. The system combines four AESA panels, an identification friend-or-foe (IFF) interrogator, command-and-control functions and supporting equipment inside a single ISO-standard container. That packaging allows the radar to be moved by air, road or sea and fielded on one vehicle, reducing the footprint and set-up time compared with multi-vehicle radar sites.
Leonardo DRS says cxMHR can detect unmanned aircraft and extended-range loitering munitions at more than 90 kilometres and transport-sized aircraft at more than 330 kilometres. It is designed to detect, track and classify multiple simultaneous threats, including tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, rockets and unmanned aircraft systems, and to provide fire-control-quality tracks to weapons. The radar uses a software-defined architecture with AI-assisted tracking and classification, and the company says it complies with Modular Open Systems Architecture principles.
“CXMHR offers persistent 360-degree surveillance, extended detection range, and fire-control-quality tracking against today’s complex air threats,” said Max Cohen, senior vice president and general manager of Leonardo DRS RADA Technologies.
Built on the MHR family
The radar extends the Multi-Mission Hemispheric Radar line developed by RADA, the Israeli company that merged with Leonardo DRS in 2022. RADA’s S-band and X-band MHR radars are already in U.S. Army service on short-range air defence platforms, including the Maneuver Short-Range Air Defense (M-SHORAD) Stryker, and are widely used in counter-drone systems. Moving to C-band trades some of the fine resolution of higher-frequency radars for longer range and better performance in poor weather, a balance suited to a sector-surveillance and cueing role in a layered defence.
Leonardo DRS says cxMHR is designed to interface with a broad set of command-and-control and data standards, including FAAD, Medusa, Sapient, Lattice, ASTERIX, MICAD and RAFT. That list spans U.S. Army forward-area air defence networks, British and NATO counter-drone frameworks and Anduril’s Lattice software, signalling that the company is targeting both U.S. and allied buyers.
Operational relevance
The war in Ukraine and repeated drone and missile attacks in the Middle East have exposed shortfalls in low-altitude surveillance for manoeuvre units and fixed sites alike. Armies are seeking sensors that can see small, slow drones and fast missiles at the same time, hand off accurate tracks to guns, missiles or electronic warfare systems, and move quickly enough to survive. A containerised C-band radar with 360-degree coverage on a single truck addresses several of those requirements at once.
The company has not disclosed the launch customer for the initial production batch or unit pricing. Performance figures quoted at AUSA are manufacturer data and will be tested in service evaluations.
Sources
- Leonardo DRS press release, “Leonardo DRS Launches cxMHR, a Fully Digital C-Band Radar for Integrated Air and Missile Defense,” October 12, 2026
- Infodefensa, “Leonardo lanza el CXMHR,” October 14, 2026
- Zona Militar, AUSA 2026 coverage, October 13, 2026
