Modern radar systems face growing demands for size, accuracy, responsiveness, and agility—especially as platforms evolve in complexity across airborne and ground-based surveillance, as well as surface-to-air and air-to-air intercept systems. To meet these demands, developers are rethinking radar system architectures, pushing for higher levels of integration, lower latency, and real-time response.

The Andromeda XRU50 RFSoC module is purpose-built for such innovation. Compact and powerful, it offers direct RF sampling of the radio spectrum, wideband signal performance, multi-tile synchronization (MTS), and multi-device synchronization (MDS) - all in a form factor that simplifies radar design while enhancing performance. Radar manufacturers across both defense and civil markets have adopted the Andromeda XRU50 RFSoC to power next-generation phased-array systems.

Why Direct RF Sampling and High Sampling Rates Matter

Traditional radar architectures rely on analog front-end components to up-convert and down-convert RF signals from/to an intermediate frequency (IF). The IF is sampled and synthesized by low sample rate ADCs and DACs. This approach, while proven, limits performance, adds complexity, size, power consumption, and calibration challenges to radar systems, especially in phased-array setups where precise timing and synchronization are critical.

The Andromeda XRU50 RFSoC radically simplifies and improves on this process by supporting direct RF sampling up to sample rates of 10 Gsps and an operating frequency range of DC to 6 GHz. These high sample rates allow for larger operating signal bandwidths, and the high operating frequency eliminates the need for analog up and down-conversion in many use cases, resulting in:

• Superior Target Discrimination
• Enhanced Interference and Jamming Immunity
• Simplified hardware architecture
• Reduced system footprint and power draw
• Lower component count and integration cost
• Improved calibration and deterministic phase coherence.

These hardware advantages enable radar systems that are easier to scale, maintain, and deploy across various operational environments.

Phased-Array Radar: Powering Precision and Agility

One of the key application areas for the Andromeda XRU50 RFSoC is phased-array radar, a technology that electronically steers beams without moving mechanical parts. From drone-based target acquisition to ground-based surveillance, phased array radar demands tightly synchronized transmit and receive channels, real-time beamforming, and scalable channel integration.

The Andromeda XRU50 RFSoC supports these requirements through:

• Multi Tile Synchronization (MTS) and Multi Device Synchronization (MDS) to align sampling across multiple RF tiles and devices
• Deterministic latency using a fully featured clocking architecture
• High-speed ADC/DAC sampling clocks for wide signal bandwidths and fine target resolution
• Compact form factor enabling easier integration into constrained or mobile platforms.

Combined, these features make this RFSoC module an ideal choice for developers building distributed or highly parallelized radar systems.

Real-world Applications: From Ground to Sky

Use cases span diverse radar applications. Real-world applications include:

• Ground-based surveillance and defense radar systems, where precision, real-time processing, and wide field-of-view are mission-critical.
• Airborne radar platforms, including drone-mounted phased arrays that benefit from the module’s lightweight, compactness, and low-power profile.

Across these domains, the Andromeda XRU50 RFSoC delivers the digital agility required to adapt to evolving signal environments and dynamic operational contexts.

Clocking Architecture: Synchronization Made Simple

At the heart of every radar system lies the need for precise timing and phase alignment. The Andromeda XRU50 RFSoC integrates seamlessly into any clock distribution network and supports both Analog SYSREF and PL SYSREF clocking, as well as all sampling clocks inputs at maximum speeds.

The fully featured clocking architecture ensures:

• Tight phase coherence across channels
• Reliable synchronization across multiple modules.

These attributes are particularly valuable in beamforming applications, where phase alignment directly impacts radar resolution and target tracking accuracy.

Compact Design and Scalable Performance due to MDS

Radar developers often operate within strict size, weight, and power (SWaP) constraints, especially in aerospace and mobile defense systems. The Andromeda XRU50 RFSoC meets these challenges with a compact and highly integrated system-on-module (SoM) design. It offers a plug-and-play solution that accelerates prototyping and speeds time-to-market without compromising performance.

Moreover, thanks to its Multi-Device Synchronization (MDS) capabilities, this RFSoC module is highly scalable. Whether powering a few radar elements or hundreds, its architecture supports synchronized deployment across multiple modules, allowing phased-array systems to expand as operational demands grow.

Conclusion

The Andromeda XRU50 RFSoC module is enabling a new generation of agile, high-performance radar systems. By delivering direct RF sampling of the radio spectrum, extremely high sampling rates, robust synchronization, and compact integration, it simplifies the radar architecture while unlocking new capabilities across airborne and ground-based phased-array systems.

As radar technology continues to evolve, the Andromeda XRU50 RFSoC offers developers a flexible and forward-looking platform — one designed not just for today’s challenges, but tomorrow’s opportunities.

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