| Asian Military Review |
USAF
2 naval surveillance radar. The APAR-2 X-band (8.5-10.68GHz) radar, for which Thales is seeking customers, also employs an AESA antenna using GaN in its T/R modules, and has an instrumented range of 80.9nm (150km), although the APAR2 has a volume search capability which the legacy APAR does not. The radar includes a radio frequency uplink/downlink to enable the radar to perform fire control for Semi-Active/ Active Radar Homing (SARH/ARH) Surface-to-Air Missiles (SAMs). The company added that this enables the radar to work with Raytheon’s RIM-162 ESSM (Evolved Sea Sparrow) Block-2 SARH SAM. The company is promoting the APAR-2 as a retrofit option for existing APAR users (RNN, Royal Danish Navy and German Navy), and for the new-build frigate market. In terms of concepts of operation, Thales suggested to the author that the NS-200 (see above) and APAR-2 could be combined on a surface combatant, with the NS200 performing target detection, and the APAR2 providing fire control for a SAM engagement. The firm continued that it expects to eventually replace the legacy APAR in the firm’s catalogue with the APAR-2. A short walk from Thales’ stand at the Euronaval exhibition, Leonardo gave AMR updates regarding the current status and development of its Kronos naval surveillance radar family. The family now contains the Kronos Quad C-band (5.25-5.925GHz) and Kronos Starfire X-band naval surveillance radars, alongside the Kronos Powershield L-band (1.215-1.4GHz) system. The company informed AMR that this latter radar is currently under development, with development expected to
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be completed in 2020, following the completion of testing in 2019. All of these radars use AESA architecture, with the Kronos Powershield and Kronos Quad employing GaN in their antennae T/R modules, with the Kronos Starfire employing Gallium Arsenide. All of these radars are destined for forthcoming Marina Militaire (Italian Navy) surface combatants. For example, the Leonardo/Fincantieri LHD (Landing Helicopter Dock) amphibious assault ship will be outfitted with the Kronos Powershield and the Kronos Starfire, with the possibility of the ship also receiving the Kronos Quad in the 2020 timeframe. The navy’s forthcoming so-called Multipurpose Offshore Patrol Ships will receive the Kronos Quad, and will accommodate the Kronos Starfire. No further details are forthcoming regarding the capabilities of these radars, although the firm has told AMR that it expects the Kronos Powershield to have an instrumented range of up to 324nm (600km), with the possibility of this being extended to circa 540nm (1000km) to perform ballistic missile detection and tracking. Leonardo expects to install the Kronos Quad on the LHD in circa 2020, and on the Multipurpose Offshore Patrol Ship from 2021. Meanwhile the Kronos Starfire and Kronos Powershield are expected to complete development by circa 2022. Staying in the naval domain, Terma has supplied AMR with additional details regarding two recent procurements of its SCANTER radar family. In late October, the firm announced that Terma
Terma has announced that its SCANTER-6000 radar has been selected to equip vessels belonging to the Indonesian Coast Guard and the Royal Malaysian Navy. Installations are expected to commence in 2017.
The USAF’s forthcoming B-21 Raider strategic bomber could be one of the platforms which benefits from the installation of technology being developed as part of DARPA’s ARC programme.