Elta was awarded the contract to develop and manufacture the EL/M-2080 Green Pine radar in 1992.[9] The Green Pine was developed from the Elta Music phased array radar,[6][10] presented in November 1994,[9] rolled out in 1995,[11] and turned operational in November 1998.[12] The Green Pine has since been used in dozens of tests of the Arrow system.[7] In 2000 it was revealed that the Green Pine detected the launch of a Syrian Scud-D missile from its base outside Aleppo in northern Syria, and tracked its full trajectory until its impact point, some 700 km (430 mi) in the southern desert.[13] In 2005, and in 2008, Green Pine detected and tracked similar drills of Syrian Scuds.[14][15]
On July 29, 2004, Israel and the United States carried out a joint test at the Naval Air Station Point Mugu (NAS Point Mugu) Missile Test Center in California, in which the Arrow interceptor was launched against a real Scud-B missile. The test represented a realistic scenario that could not have been tested in Israel due to test-field safety restrictions.[4] To enable the test a full battery was shipped to Point Mugu. The Green Pine radar and command-and-control systems were deployed at the base, while the Arrow launcher was installed 100 km (62 mi) offshore on an island that forms part of the test range.[16] The test was a success, with the interceptor destroying the Scud that flew a 300 km (190 mi) trajectory[16] at an altitude of 40 km (25 mi),[6][17][18] west of San Nicolas Island.[19] This was the seventh test of the complete system, the first interception of a real Scud.[20]
As of 2012 the Green Pine radar has a proven track record demonstrated in over 20 successful ballistic missile intercepts.[21]
Green Pine reportedly operates in search, detection, tracking, and missile guidance modes simultaneously,[6][10] capable of detecting targets at ranges of up to about 500 km (310 mi), and is able to track more than 30 targets at speeds over 3,000 m/s (10,000 ft/s).[6][23] It discriminates targets from natural clutter and countermeasures,[24] illuminates the true target and guides the missile to within 4 m (13 ft) of the target.[6][25]
The effective radiated power (ERP) of the Green Pine also makes it a possible candidate for conversion into a directed-energy weapon, by focusing pulses of radar energy on target missiles.[1] The energy spikes are tailored to enter missiles through antennas or sensor apertures where they can fool guidance systems, scramble computer memories or even burn out sensitive electronic components.[1]
The radar system includes a 9 m (30 ft) wide by 3 m (9.8 ft) high[10]trailer-mounted rotatable antenna array, a power system, a cooling system and a radar control center.[6][22] The power system has both no-break and transformer containers, with the former including a dieselgenerator, an inductive clutch control module and a diesel fuel tank.[10] The transformer container houses transformers, a service generator, a power inverter and switching racks.[10] The radar's cooling system is a heat exchanger that makes use of inherently redundant cascade cooling machines and incorporates an integral coolant tank and control panels.[10] The radar is made up of 2,000–2,300 transmit–receive modules and weighs 60 tonnes (130,000 lb).[26][27] The system is transportable rather than mobile, as it can be moved to other prepared sites, but cannot be set up just anywhere.[26] According to its developer, Green Pine's deployment at a new operational site takes "less than 24 hours".[9]
Green Pine Block-B
An advanced version of the radar, called EL/M-2080S Super Green Pine,[28] Green Pine Block-B,[29] or Great Pine (Hebrew: אורן אדיר, pronounced[oʁenadiʁ]), is to take the place of the original Green Pine. It is composed of more powerful but smaller transmit–receive modules with better capabilities than those of the Green Pine,[23][30] and is believed to produce double the power output,[1] extending detection range to about 800–900 km (500–560 mi).[29][31] In October 2010 the IDF decided to put another Arrow 2 battery into operational use.[32] The new battery received the new radar - Green Pine Block-B.[33]
Green Pine Block-C
Green Pine Block-C has been revealed in November 2018.[34]
Israel had deployed at least 2 Green Pine radars as an integral part of the Arrow system.[36] As of 2008 an unknown number of both Green Pine and Green Pine Block-B versions were active.[15] As of 2012, the first Green Pine Block-B was declared operational and is deployed alongside the two Green Pines.[31]
South Korea bought two Green Pine Block-B radars, which became operational in 2012.[34] South Korea to procure two Green Pine Block-C radars, valued at about $292 million. Deliveries are scheduled for the early 2020s.[34]