Image Courtesy: Varun Kartjikeyan          

DRDO is developing a space borne imaging radar for military application, this radar is an Unfurlable Reflector Antenna, pictured above. The design is scalable & can develop into any size or shape. Most likely this could be a Ku band Radar. It uses rim truss deployable mechanism. Rim truss mechanism has the advantage of high thermoelastic stability & deployment reliability

Large unfurlable antennae have been built for spaceborne radars with different structural schemes, most of them can be classified as radial structures, modular structures, and rim truss. Among these, rim truss antenna with the advantage of high thermo-elastic stability and deployment reliability is most suited for space based applications.

The deployable reflector will help enable higher resolution from a radar instrument for Earth observation. With its exceptionally lightweight design, its stiffness and high robustness, the semi-rigid reflector technology offers significant advantages compared to classic mesh reflectors.

With its large diameter, the reflector would not fit in any rocket fairing, so it must be compactly stowed. After the fairing is released, the reflector will unfold like a flower. The unfurlable parabolic reflector concept is cost effective option for small radar missions or constellations.