Leonardo Outlines Transition Plans For Naval Surveillance Radar
Leonardo told MONS that it expects to develop a ground-based version of its Kronos Power Shield L-band (1,215 gigahertz/GHz to 1.4GHz) naval surveillance radar. This radar will equip the Marina Militaire (Italian Navy) new LHD (Landing Helicopter Dock) amphibious assault ship in the coming four years.
Speaking during the Bangkok Defence and Security held 6–9 November, company sources told MONS that the radar’s architecture, in particular its Transmit/Receive modules and full digital beam-forming technology could form the basis for a new family of ground-based air surveillance radars. These could be developed over the next five years. Sources added that the radar could be realised in several versions, these could include a transportable variant with a folding antenna, and a fixed-site version.
Currently, no formal national requirement exists for an acquisition. The land-based versions of the radar, like its naval counterpart, will transmit in L-band. Regarding the Kronos Power Shield, the company confirmed that the programme for the single radar to equip the Italian Navy’s LHD remains on schedule and could equip the vessel in circa 2021.
Thomas Withington