Thales has secured a service contract from Organisation for Joint Armament Co-operation (OCCAR) on behalf of the navies of France, Italy and UK.
This three-year contract comes with an additional optional two years.
Thales stated that its naval sensors such as the S1850M demonstrate endurance and reliability and it is committed to support navies and serve as a trusted partner for the armed forces.
The company has sold 26 systems including SMART-L and its derivative S1850M long range air surveillance radar to several European navies.
These radars have become a ‘de facto NATO standard’ for long-range radar systems for navies, claimed Thales.
The new service contract covers support services, such as on-site technical help, desk support, and implementing the Thales Customer Portal.
This contract also features an annual obsolescence scan and health monitoring besides more sophisticated tasks, such as configuration management and monitoring.
The company will also host Customer Days annually that will be marked by presence of representatives from the three navies and OCCAR.
Based on the company’s SMART-L Volume Search Radar, the S1850M radar is a long-range radar (LRR) of the Principal Anti Air Missile System (PAAMS) deployed on the the French and Italian class Horizon Frigates, Royal Navy’s Type 45 Destroyers, and Queen Elisabeth class Aircraft Carriers.
A 3D multibeam radar, the S1850M system is intended to offer long-range air and surface surveillance and target designation.
Further capabilities to the radar can be added during its lifetime as per customer requirements, thereby making it to adaptable to the future evolving requirements.
This radar, as part of the Ballistic Missile Defence System, comes with completely automatic detection and track initiation capability which enables it to track up to 1,000 air targets at a range of approximately 400km including stealth targets in environments that are cluttered.
With 26 systems sold to the leading European navies, SMART-L and its derivative S1850M have become the de facto NATO standard for naval long-range radar systems.
Thales SVP of Above Water Systems Gerben Edelijn said: “This service contract proves that Thales’ naval sensors can meet user requirements for a great many years.
“We are glad to keep supporting three of Europe’s leading navies in their mission to protect their nations, personnel and valuable assets. This contract demonstrates the increasing need for cooperation between defence organisations and industry in Europe. Uniformity of equipment facilitates this cooperation.”
