New Coherent doppler radar system for OPVs

Northrop Grumman Corporation today announced the introduction of a new family of X-Band Coherent Radar (XBCR) systems designed primarily for offshore patrol vessels (OPV) and other smaller combat ship platforms.

The SeaGuard XBCR systems are being developed by Northrop Grumman's Sperry Marine business unit, in cooperation with Australian company CEA Technologies Pty Limited, and are expected to be available for deliveries in early 2012.

The system's Doppler signal processing enables detection of aircraft and helicopters at ranges of 20 nautical miles over sea or land at altitudes up to 6,000 feet, as well as high- and slow-speed surface targets such as rigid-hull inflatables or periscopes. It also provides superior clutter suppression, increasing the probability of detection of small targets under extreme weather conditions.

Multiple user-selectable operating modes provide optimum performance for different mission requirements, such as berthing, short- or long-range surface or air search, and periscope detection. Special navalized features include red first strike to identify fast-moving targets, helicopter control vectors and search-and-rescue operations.

"The affordability and performance of the XBCR system make it an ideal replacement for magnetron-based radars in a wide range of platforms, satisfying multiple application-specific requirements, especially in the littoral warfare environment," said J. Nolasco DaCunha, vice president of Northrop Grumman Sperry Marine. "The integration of proven digital signal-processing techniques ensures consistent performance at sea and over land, generating confidence in both the operator and platform commander. The solid-state nature of the radar provides savings in through-life support with a modular design developed to achieve exceptional availability, reliability and maintainability."

Source: Northrop Grumman

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