IAI Unveils POINT@AIR Compact Aerostat Radar at AUSA Meeting
Israel Aerospace Industries brought its new POINT@AIR compact aerostat-mounted AESA radar to the Association of the U.S. Army annual meeting in Washington, offering ground forces a mobile, elevated view of low-flying drones and aircraft.
POINT@AIR AESA Radar Unveiled at AUSA 2026
The system mounts an active electronically scanned array radar onto a compact aerostat, which is a tethered, helium-filled balloon designed to hold a sensor aloft for long periods. Israel Aerospace Industries developed POINT@AIR to detect, track, and prioritize multiple air, sea, and ground targets simultaneously, feeding tracking data directly into command-and-control systems. The setup moves quickly without requiring permanent ground infrastructure.
Elevating a radar above the terrain enables it to peer beyond the Earth’s curvature, urban structures, and topographical ridges. Ground-based radars often cannot spot low-flying targets until those threats are close.
Technology Derived from the ELM-2083 Radar Family
POINT@AIR stems from Israel Aerospace Industries’ ELM-2083 radar family. The original ELM-2083 is a larger L-band early-warning radar carried by aerostats, derived in turn from the Green Pine radar used in Israel’s Arrow missile defense system. The company’s ELTA Systems subsidiary previously supplied that larger radar to several countries, including India. The new POINT@AIR system adapts that technology into a smaller setup that can travel alongside moving tactical forces.
The radar steers its beam electronically in both directions while rotating mechanically to give complete 360-degree coverage. Israel Aerospace Industries did not disclose the radar’s specific range, the balloon’s operating altitude, how long the aerostat can stay aloft, the size of the required crew, the price of the system, or any current customers.
Leadership Perspective on Situational Awareness
Guy Bar Lev, president and CEO of Israel Aerospace Industries, spoke about the operational need for the new sensor configuration. “Seeing the battlespace is the starting point for every effective defense,” Bar Lev said. “The more persistent and comprehensive that view becomes, the better equipped forces are to understand what is unfolding, anticipate threats and act with confidence.”
Dror Bar, CEO of ELTA Systems and an executive vice president at Israel Aerospace Industries, explained the engineering focus behind the hardware. “Our goal was not simply to reduce the size of an existing solution, but to rethink what an aerostat-based radar could achieve,” Bar said.
Historical Context for Aerostats in the U.S. Army
Aerostat radars hold a mixed operational history within the U.S. Army. The service previously used smaller camera-carrying aerostats to monitor bases in Iraq and Afghanistan. Yet, the service terminated the far bigger JLENS cruise missile defense initiative following an incident in 2015 where one of the blimps snapped its tether in Maryland and floated all the way into Pennsylvania.