Kelvin Hughes will supply its radar equipment systems SharpEye for the two latest Batch 2 ships »HMS Tamar« and »HMS Spey« of the Royal Navy.
This follows an order of the same equipment for three new Batch 2 River-class offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) vessels in April 2015.
Eac[ds_preview]h 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. 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.
According to Kelvin Hughes 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. They will be available for deployment anywhere in the world to undertake a range of anti-piracy, counter-terrorism and anti-smuggling roles currently conducted by Royal Navy frigates and destroyers.
With its solid-state technology, the 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.
SharpEye systems are used by more that 25 navies
According to the manufacturer more than 25 of the world’s navies now use SharpEye radar and displays. Most recently, Kelvin Hughes was contracted to supply the Irish Naval Service with SharpEye systems for its new fleet of OPVs which are currently under construction.
