UK Navy's River-class Vessels To Be Equipped With Kelvin Hughes' Radar systems

Kelvin Hughes will be supplying SharpEye radar systems for the two latest Batch 2 ships, HMS Tamar and HMS Spey.

Each ship will be equipped with a SharpEye I-Band radar for helicopter control and navigation as well as an E/F-Band SharpEye radar for navigation and collision avoidance, the company announced today.

In addition, Kelvin Hughes will be supplying its ARPA widescreen radar display for all of the Batch 2 OPVs. The radar sets will be interfaced with each ship’s Combat Management System and other third-party systems such as WECDIS and WAIS.

Fundamentally different in appearance and capabilities from the Batch 1 OPVs, the Batch 2 ships have been designed with a Merlin-capable flight deck and a greatly expanded capacity for accommodating troops.

SharpEye radar systems deliver an advanced pulse-compressed Doppler navigation and situational awareness capability that can provide early warning not only of the presence of larger vessels but also small targets and asymmetric threats with a low Radar Cross Section such as RHIBs, small wooden boats, USVs and jet skis.

Operating in the I-Band, the new radar will enable the ships to distinguish between genuine targets and environmental clutter even in the most adverse weather conditions.

The system provides a 3-in-1 approach with a type approved navigation radar using advanced small target detection, a 2D surface surveillance capability and a helo detection mode to aid rotary aircraft recovery in bad weather; all in one compact radar package.

The system’s scalable architecture allows it to satisfy the requirements of the smaller patrol boat as primary radar or as a navigation radar and secondary surveillance radar on a larger warship.

Similar SharpEye radars are already in service with the fleet and significantly more have been ordered for other RN and RFA programmes, such as the fleet wide Navigation Radar Program and the Tide class tankers.