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The Navy’s Anzac Class frigate fleet is one step closer to operating next-generation sovereign air search radar technology.
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The SEA 1448 Phase 4B project — which aims to replace the SPS-49(V)8 Air Search Radar on the Royal Australian Navy’s fleet of eight Anzac Class frigates with a CEAFAR-2L phased array radar system — has officially achieved initial operating capability (IOC).
The sovereign designed and manufactured system — jointly developed by CEA Technologies, Saab Australia and BAE Systems — is expected to complement the first-generation CEAFAR-1S phased array radar capability installed during the Anzac Anti-Ship Missile Defence upgrade.
Capability benefits include advanced detection, classification and identification of air contacts, enhanced radar and combat management system integration, bolstered radar functionality and improvements in equipment support and reliability.
“This technology has delivered a significantly advanced air warfare and missile self-defence capability to Navy’s Anzac Class frigates and provides Navy with one of the most advanced, sovereign air search radar capabilities in the world,” Chief of the Royal Australian Navy, Vice Admiral Michael Noonan, AO, said.
“The close partnership between government and Australian industry is crucial to this Australian success story.”
According to deputy director, systems, Commander David Bettell, the new technology, integrated with the 9LV Combat Management System, has been successfully demonstrated at sea.
“The Anzac Air Search Radar replacement project has not only replaced the ageing air search radar but delivered ground-breaking integrated digital Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) capability, a world first within a Phased Array Radar System,” CMDR Bettell said.
The upgrade was facilitated by the Warship Asset Management Agreement Alliance in conjunction with the Anzac Ships Program Office and SEA 1448 Phase 4B Project Office.
The SEA 1448 Phase 4B project had initially been expected to hit IOC by June 2020, with final operating capability (FOC) scheduled for June 2024.
[Related: Defence awards new tranche of SICP grants]
