The S1850M is a long-range

radar Radar is a system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), direction ( azimuth and elevation angles), and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It is a radiodetermination method used to detect and track ...

with a

digital antenna array Digital antenna array (DAA) is a smart antenna with multi channels digital beamforming, usually by using fast Fourier transform (FFT). The development and practical realization of digital antenna arrays theory started in 1962 under the guidanc ...

for wide area search in elevation. The S1850M is manufactured by

Thales Thales of Miletus ( ; ; ) was an Ancient Greek philosophy, Ancient Greek Pre-Socratic philosophy, pre-Socratic Philosophy, philosopher from Miletus in Ionia, Asia Minor. Thales was one of the Seven Sages of Greece, Seven Sages, founding figure ...

and BAE Systems Integrated System Technologies (formerly AMS UK). It is a modified version of the Thales Nederland SMART-L 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 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 located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, and one for

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, with a common prototype based in

Toulon Toulon (, , ; , , ) is a city in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. Located on the French Riviera and the historical Provence, it is the prefecture of the Var (department), Var department. The Commune of Toulon h ...

. 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 (, ) is the Navy, maritime service branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. It traces its history to 8 January 1488, making it the List of navies, third-oldest navy in the world. During the 17th and early 18th centurie ...

, which is an updated version of the current SMART-L 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 naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

: 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 EMPAR (European Multifunction Phased Array Radar) is a rotating C band multifunction passive electronically scanned array radar that reached IOC in 2006 and was initially built by Selex ES (previously SELEX Sistemi Integrati, since 2016 merge ...

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