The
first Sea Acceptance Test (SAT) of Thales’s APAR multifunction
radar on the new Iver Huitfeldt class frigates of the Royal Danish Navy
was a success. Thanks to the excellent cooperation with the Danish Defence
Acquisition and Logistics Organization, this test could be completed
in one week instead of a more usual three weeks.
The test was performed with the first APAR delivered to the Royal Danish
Navy, installed on HDMS Peter Willemoes. |
|
In December 2006, the contract was signed for the
delivery of the three APAR systems for the Iver Huitfeldt class frigates.
Between January 2011 and January 2012 the Factory Acceptance Tests for
all three radars were performed and in 2011 and 2012 the systems were
installed on the three ships of this class: HDMS Iver Huitfeldt, HSMS
Peter Willemoes and HDMS Niels Juel.
Thales Nederland CEO Gerben Edelijn says: “This SAT demonstrates
our capability to maintain the highest possible level of product quality
over a long period of time. We are proud of the excellent relation with
the Royal Danish Navy.”
Following this SAT, there will be a Harbour Acceptance Test later this
year to test the ship’s Anti Air Warfare and Fire Control capabilities.
The program is scheduled to end early 2014.
About APAR
APAR (Active Phased Array Radar) is a multi-function radar (MFR) capable
of fulfilling various tasks simultaneously; automatic detection and
tracking of low altitude targets (e.g. sea skimmers), detection and
tracking of air targets and missile guidance support. It is designed
for the terminal guidance (CW/ICWI) requirements of SM-2 and ESSM missiles.
ICWI is Interrupted Continuous Wave Illumination. This feature enables
a single fire control radar to control several missiles simultaneously,
thereby greatly enhancing a ship's defence capabilities.
The APAR antenna consists of four arrays, each array composed of more
than 3000 very small radar transmitter/receiver (T/R) elements. The
combination of T/R modules in one array can generate narrow beams that
can be pointed in any direction within a cone of about 140 degrees in
azimuth and 85 degrees in elevation. Combined, the four arrays cover
the full 360 degrees. Switching from one beam to another can be done
very rapidly. The use of so many T/R modules gives this radar unique
performance and high operational availability.
The inherent agility of APAR guarantees a high performance in the most
adverse conditions, under severe electronic protection measures.
|
