Kelvin Hughes has been awarded a contract to supply SharpEye™ radars with an Agile Tracker to the New Zealand (NZ) Ministry of Defence as part of the Lockheed Martin Canada prime contract for the Frigate Systems Upgrade project.
Kelvin Hughes will be supplying their market leading S-Band solid state upmast 2D navigation and surveillance radar SharpEye™, for two ship sets along with their tactical Naval MantaDigital™ display software and processors. The NZ Ministry of Defence has also selected Kelvin Hughes’ agile tracker option providing advanced target tracking capability for low level air and surface based targets.
The contract covers the supply of the advanced upmast SharpEye™ sensor, integrated housing and turning unit, antenna assembly, radar processor, software and integration with the combat management system, along with project deliverables from installation to sea acceptance, training and in-service support.
SharpEye™ with its inherent solid state design (no magnetron) is highly reliable, enabling the transceiver itself to be mounted upmast with the need for maintenance access being almost completely eradicated. The innovative design of SharpEye™ provides a very low noise system, the patented pulse sequence and pulse compression techniques ensures radar targets/contacts out at sea are detected and tracked typically earlier and at longer ranges than comparable systems.
The frigates TE KAHA and TE MANA are benefiting from a NZ$ 446M upgrade of the combat and related systems and SharpEye™ is one of the sensors within the suite of sensors and systems of the Lockheed Martin Canada upgrade under contract to the NZ Ministry of Defence.
The combat system upgrade means the Royal New Zealand Navy will be operating these highly capable and versatile ships through to the end of their service life.
Adrian Pilbeam, Vice President of Kelvin Hughes said: “The selection of SharpEye™ by the New Zealand Ministry of Defence and Lockheed Martin Canada is a testament to the cutting edge SharpEye™ technology radar. Kelvin Hughes developed SharpEye™ as a very cost effective package for 2D surveillance applications. The New Zealand MoD and Lockheed Martin Canada have recognized this in their selection of what is a critical situational awareness sensor for the Royal New Zealand Navy”.