Sea Fire fully digital radar delivered to French Navy
NewsMay 21, 2021
FRANCE. Thales has announced that the first of the five Sea Fire active electronically scanned array (AESA) digital radars for French Navy’s future Frigates for Defense and Intervention (FDI) arrived at the Lorient shipyard April 27, 2021 for integration on the first vessel.
According to the company, Sea Fire is designed with a fully solid-state four-panel AESA antenna and can search for air and surface targets simultaneously, scanning an area of several hundred square miles with 360-degree coverage and a competitive refresh rate.
The company also claims that the radar benefits from all Thales's Big Data and cybersecurity experience. Subsequent software developments will aim to further improve the product’s performance and operational availability throughout its lifecycle.
The volumes of data generated by each panel can be processed using advanced algorithms to optimize the radar’s performance in its specific operating environment. This new AESA fixed-array radar is designed to offer twice the operational availability of earlier-generation radar systems with mechanically scanned antennas, officials claim.
