The project
AERIS-10 is an open-source, low-cost phased-array radar operating at 10.5 GHz with pulse linear frequency modulation (LFM). It comes from Nawfal Motii, an engineer in Morocco, and passed 19,000 GitHub stars while trending this week.
Two builds
| Variant | Range | Antenna | Output | |---|---|---|---| | AERIS-10N (Nexus) | 3 km | 8×16 patch array | ~1 W × 16 | | AERIS-10X (Extended) | 20 km | 32×16 slotted waveguide | 10 W × 16 GaN |
Both offer ±45° electronic beam steering, 360° mechanical scan via stepper motor, GPS/IMU-assisted target geolocation and a Python GUI with map integration.
Under the hood
An FPGA (XC7A50T) generates the chirps through a DAC and runs the signal chain: I/Q down-conversion, decimation and filtering, pulse compression, Doppler FFT, moving-target indication and CFAR detection. An STM32 microcontroller handles power sequencing, clock and frequency synthesis (AD9523-1, ADF4382) and 16-channel phase and gain control through ADAR1000 phase shifters and ADTR1107 front ends, with per-channel current sensing and thermal monitoring.
Why it is interesting
Phased-array radar has long been the expensive end of RF engineering: arrays, GaN amplifiers, FPGA processing and calibration tooling were costly and closed. Publishing schematics, Gerbers, firmware and a GUI under CERN-OHL-P for hardware and MIT for software lowers the entry barrier for university labs, drone developers and serious hobbyists.
Caveats
Status is alpha, features are explicitly work in progress, and there is still no standalone assembly guide — schematics and production files are the build path. High-power RF and radar emissions are regulated differently by jurisdiction; experimenters should check local rules.
