The Ministry of the Armed Forces of France announced 5 September 2025 of the year on the large-scale modernization of the Nostradamus long-range detection radar. This step is aimed at enhancing the country's strategic autonomy and reducing dependence on American early warning systems. A full -scale war in Ukraine actualized the need for means, able to detect trajectories of ballistic and hypersonic missiles in real time.
The radar is located in the department of Eure et Loire and occupies an area 12 hectares. Its design consists of three long antenna branches 140 meters each. Developed by research center ONERA, Nostradamus runs in a high -frequency range using signal reflection from ionosphere, which allows to overcome the curvature of the earth and to observe thousands of kilometers. The system covers volumes from ground to height 250 km and can work as in a monostatic, and in bistatic modes.
These characteristics ensure a wide range of targets: from aircraft and multi -blocked ballistic missiles to hypersonic devices at speeds above Mach 5 and stratospheric balloons. Nostradamus is currently undergoing a modernization program 50 million euros, aimed at increasing accuracy, reliability and integration into the pan -European architecture of early warning. The first stage began 4 September from signing an agreement between the Defense Innovation and ONERA Agency.
The upgraded Nostradamus will become a central element of the expanded air and missing defense of France, which will cover the range from earth to space. Its role is to provide additional response time in the event of the launch of modern missile systems, which leave only a few minutes to intercept.
The French strategy for the development of detection means in the upper layers of the atmosphere sees Nostradamus as the first building block of a common European early warning system. In the future, it should be the basis for creating independent of the US tracking and warning opportunities, that will enhance the defense capability as France, so and her European partners.
Modernization of this unique radar for Europe is an important milestone in preparing for new types of threats, providing technological adaptation, strategic autonomy and integration into a wider continent defensive structures.
Source: https://armyrecognition.com