Approximately 60 Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships, submarines and shore facilities will be fitted with Kelvin Hughes’ SharpEye™ radars.
The company said it would supply the radars in association with Lockheed Martin Integrated Systems UK who have signed a £44 million contract with the Ministry of Defence (MOD).
The systems will be fitted on Royal Navy’s Type 23 frigates, Hunt and Sandown class Mine Counter Measure Vessels, Royal Fleet Auxiliary support vessels and fast patrol boats as well as the Astute, Trafalgar and Vanguard class submarines.
Kelvin Hughes said the contract with Lockheed Martin also included options for the introduction of navigation radar systems for future Royal Navy platforms such as the Queen Elizabeth carriers, the Type 26 Global Combat Ship and Successor submarines.
Rohan Dearlove , Kelvin Hughes’ UK Maritime Sales Director, commented: “The provision of SharpEye™ under this contract supports the MOD’s desire for technological convergence, with similar radars being already in service with the Fleet and selected for MOD programmes such as the Tide class tankers and the new OPVs.”
Dearlove added: “We are confident that MOD will decide to exercise options within the NRP contract which facilitate the roll out of SharpEye across additional platforms. This would extend the operational benefits associated with technological convergence to the newer vessels types such as Type 45, the two new carriers and future Type 26 and general purposes frigates.”
Kelvin Hughes’ Chief Executive, Russell Gould , added: “SharpEye™ systems are currently being deployed by 27 of the world’s navies and this major new project is a further vote of confidence in the superior performance and reliability of Kelvin Hughes SharpEye™ technology.”