EMPAR (European Multifunction Phased Array Radar) is a rotating C band multifunction passive electronically scanned array

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, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, w ...

that reached

IOC The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental Sports governing body, sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an associ ...

in 2006 and was initially built by

Selex ES Selex ES was a subsidiary of Finmeccanica S.p.A., active in the electronics and information technology business, based in Italy and the UK, and formed in January 2013, following Finmeccanica's decision to combine its existing SELEX Elsag an ...

(previously

SELEX Sistemi Integrati SELEX Sistemi Integrati S.p.A. was an aerospace, defence and security-related electronics manufacturing company headquartered in Rome, Italy and a wholly owned subsidiary of Finmeccanica. It designed and developed systems for homeland security; sy ...

, since 2016 merged in Finmeccanica, then Leonardo S.p.A.). It is designed to be the principal radar system aboard naval vessels of medium and large sizes. The radar offers full volumetric search coverage, low altitude and surface search, the tracking of multiple targets, and the capability to uplink information for missile guidance.

Details

EMPAR's principal function is 3D volumetric air search, providing a bearing, range and altitude for air traffic out to ranges of . It is capable of tracking aircraft or smaller targets such as missiles. The system employs a single narrow beam for transmission, plus multiple beams for reception. These can be steered electronically, allowing the EMPAR to scan very rapidly across a wide angle of bearing and/or

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. It thus provides the simultaneous monitoring of an entire hemisphere. The flat face of the radar is rotated at 60 rpm, allowing it to sweep across the whole sky very rapidly. The system therefore provides an almost continuous 360 degree view, in contrast to earlier rotating radar systems which often took ten seconds or more to sweep the sky. This capability is important to

air defence Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based ...

systems given the great speed of modern anti ship missiles such as the

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BrahMos The BrahMos (also designated as PJ-10)frequency Frequency is the number of occurrences of a repeating event per unit of time. It is also occasionally referred to as ''temporal frequency'' for clarity, and is distinct from '' angular frequency''. Frequency is measured in hertz (Hz) which is ...

and

waveform In electronics, acoustics, and related fields, the waveform of a signal is the shape of its graph as a function of time, independent of its time and magnitude scales and of any displacement in time.David Crecraft, David Gorham, ''Electron ...

it is using as necessary. As with all phased array radars it is difficult to

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or interfere with and can work in the presence of intense

clutter Clutter and its derivations may refer to any of the following: Excessive physical disorder * Clutter, a confusing, or disorderly, state or collection, and possible symptom of compulsive hoarding * Clutter (marketing), numerous advertisements, ...

. EMPAR is compatible with the

PAAMS The Principal Anti-Air Missile System (PAAMS) is a joint programme developed by France, Italy, and the United Kingdom for an integrated anti-aircraft warfare system. The prime contractor is EUROPAAMS, a joint venture between Eurosam (66%) and ...

system, providing guidance to Aster 15 or 30 missiles for medium or long range air defence.

Employment

;

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* 1 x BDSL ''Kalaat Béni Abbès'' class French Navy ship Chevalier Paul

;

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Marine Nationale The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in th ...

* 2 x ''Forbin''-class destroyers ;

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 ...

- Italian Navy * 1 x ''Cavour''-class aircraft carrier * 2 x ''Andrea Doria''-class destroyers * 1 x

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training center

Development

MFRA (Multi Functional Radar Active) EMPAR (European Multifunction Phased Array Radar) is evolved to MFRA (Multi Functional Radar Active), an AESA rotating C band multifunction

active electronically scanned array An active electronically scanned array (AESA) is a type of phased array antenna, which is a computer-controlled array antenna in which the beam of radio waves can be electronically steered to point in different directions without moving the an ...

built by

. MFRA is embarked on the Italian FREMM Frigate ''Bergamini'' class (10 units with 10 radar).

References

{{Reflist Military radars of Italy Naval radars Military equipment introduced in the 2000s