The CSIR’s radar and electronic warfare (EW) area operates as a Defence Evaluation Research Institute (DERI) and undertakes contract research, technology development, operational test and evaluation support, acquisition support, performance requirement studies, expert consultation and training to the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), select international defence research organisations as well as the local and international industry.

Main products and services are in the fields of platform self-protection, strategic surveillance, modeling and simulation software, test and evaluation facilities and the emerging research areas of persistent real-time surveillance and communications EW.

The group boasts specialised radar and EW research, development, test and evaluation facilities. Of particular note is the state-of-the-art sensor and engagement simulation software (SEWES), digital radio frequency memory (DRFM) technology and DRFM based hardware in the loop simulators, and mobile tracking radar and radar cross section (RCS) measurement facilities.