Nawfal built an affordable and accessible radar system that operates at 10.5 GHz. (Image Credit: Nawfal Motii)
Morocco-based electronics engineer Nawfal developed an affordable, open-source AERIS-10 radar system that combines SDR hardware with a programmable architecture. Nawfal made two versions: AERIS-10N (3 km max. range) and the AERIS-10E (20 km max. range). The phased-array operates at a frequency of 10.5 GHz and uses Pulse Linear Frequency Modulation (PLFM). He says this radar is built for researchers, drone developers, and SDR enthusiasts.
So, how does the radar work? It runs through a timed boot and scanning sequence. The STM32 MCU cycles power before waiting for the Oven-Controlled Crystal Oscillator (OCXO) to thermally stabilize and manage voltage sequencing for the AD9523 clock generator. The microcontroller configures the AD9523, establishing a clock distribution network that synchronizes the FPGA and RF components with precise phase alignment.
Afterward, the system initializes the GPS, IMU, barometer, two ADF4382 frequency synthesizers (one to transmit and one to receive), and four ADAR1000 beamforming chips. When an operator presses ‘Start’ in the Python GUI, the interface transmits a handshake packet and radar settings to the STM32 controller. The MCU verifies that the configuration monitors the GPS stream and waits for a lock before sending position data to the GUI. That data is used by the interface to center its map on the radar’s location, providing the operator with spatial context for targets.
While the GPS updates, the STM32 reads the IMU and barometer to calculate the pitch, roll, yaw, and altitude. The yaw data instructs the stepper motor to turn the antenna, enabling the scan to start from a known reference direction. Using this configuration ensures the radar’s angular measurement remains consistent.
Next, the RF chain enters the phase-coherent operation. The microcontroller sets the two ADF4382 synthesizers, executing a system synchronization step to keep the oscillators aligned. Maintaining this coherence is required for Doppler processing and coherent pulse compression, improving target detection and velocity measurement.
The XC7A100T FPGA then handles the fast signal processing. While doing so, it produces chirps, captures echoes, and performs down-conversion (achieve with two LT5552 microwave mixers). Along with that, it applies filtering, pulse compression, Doppler FFT, moving target indication, and CFAR detection before transmitting results to the GUI.
Those interested in the project can visit the GitHub page and build their own radar system. However, this will require electronic and mechanical knowledge. To make it more accessible, Nawfal reached an agreement with the Crowd Supply platform to reach a Q3 2026 release.
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