S1850M Radar (center) D32 Daring 2010-03-01

The S1850M is a long-range

radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, Marine radar, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor v ...

with a digital antenna array for wide area search in elevation. The S1850M is manufactured by

Thales Thales of Miletus ( ; grc-gre, Θαλῆς; ) was a Greek mathematician, astronomer, statesman, and pre-Socratic philosopher from Miletus in Ionia, Asia Minor. He was one of the Seven Sages of Greece. Many, most notably Aristotle, regarded ...

and

BAE Systems Integrated System Technologies BAE Systems Integrated System Technologies (known informally as Insyte) was a division of BAE Systems plc. The division was a major supplier of defence electronics, integrated command and control systems, radars, simulators, meteorological ...

(formerly AMS UK). It is a modified version of the

Thales Nederland Thales Nederland B.V. (formerly Hollandse Signaalapparaten B.V. or in short Signaal) is a subsidiary of the French multinational company Thales Group based in the Netherlands. The firm was founded as ''NV Hazemeyer's Fabriek van Signaalapparate ...

SMART-L SMART-L (Signaal Multibeam Acquisition Radar for Tracking, L band) is a long-range naval search radar introduced in 2002 by Thales Nederland, formerly Hollandse Signaalapparaten (Signaal). The digital antenna array has 24 elements; all are used ...

radar. The S1850M is advertised as being capable of fully automatic detection, track initiation, and tracking of up to 1,000 targets at a range of . It is also claimed to be highly capable of detecting

stealth Stealth may refer to: Military * Stealth technology, technology used to conceal ships, aircraft, and missiles ** Stealth aircraft, aircraft which use stealth technology **Stealth ground vehicle, ground vehicles which use stealth technology ** St ...

targets, and able to detect and track outer atmosphere objects at short range, enabling it to form part of a Theatre Ballistic Missile Defence system. The contract for initial production of the S1850M was signed in 2001: two for the UK, one for

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, and one for

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, with a common prototype based in

Toulon Toulon (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is th ...

. In 2005, a follow-on contract was signed for five more for the UK, one more for France, and one more for Italy. A further developed version of the Smart-L is being installed on ships by the

Royal Netherlands Navy The Royal Netherlands Navy ( nl, Koninklijke Marine, links=no) is the naval force of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. During the 17th century, the navy of the Dutch Republic (1581–1795) was one of the most powerful naval forces in the world an ...

, which is an updated version of the current

radar called the SMART-L-EWC (Early Warning Capability) Radar. It has a greater search radius: a tracking range of 2000 km for ballistic missiles and 480 km for air targets. SMART-L EWC is a programmable AESA radar that is characterized by full flexibility. Additional capabilities can be introduced during its lifetime according to customer needs. This makes the radar future-proof in case of evolving requirements.
SMART-L MM , Thales Group

Applications

* UK

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...

: Type 45 destroyer and * France: * Italy: Orizzonte-class destroyer In all its current applications, the S1850M is the long-range radar (LRR) component of the Principal Anti-Air Missile System. On the Type 45 destroyers, it is paired with the SAMPSON multifunction radar; on the Horizon ships, it is paired with the EMPAR multifunction radar. On 11 February 2009, Thales indicated that the S1850M radar will be fitted on the Royal Navy's ''Queen Elizabeth''-class aircraft carrier.

References

External links

BAE articleThales SMART-L-EWCRoyal Netherlands Navy signs agreement to upgrade 4 existing SMART-L radars with Early Warning Capability
{{Thales Group Naval radars Military radars of the United Kingdom Military radars of France Royal Navy Radar Phased array radar Military equipment introduced in the 2000s