Raytheon tests dual-band datalink with Thales radar

Raytheon has announced that its dual-band datalink has been tested with a Thales Nederland Advanced Phased Array Radar (APAR). The test took place at a shore-based Dutch facility and marked a key step toward enabling more European ships to employ the full range of missiles within the Standard Missile family, including the Standard Missile-3.

The test saw the company-funded dual-band datalink use both sending and receiving signals to validate its ability to communicate with the APAR X-band radar, which is part of a radar suite used by the Danish, Dutch and German navies. According to the company, integrating a dual-band datalink into any of the Standard Missiles is a 'drop in' replacement for the current hardware.

Generally, US and NATO ships communicate with interceptors in either X- or S-band, and Raytheon is developing the dual-band datalink to enable the same missile to communicate in both S- and X-band.

Wes Kremer, vice president of Air and Missile Defense Systems for Raytheon Missile Systems, said: ‘Right now, few of Europe's naval ships can participate in the 'upper tier' ballistic missile defence of NATO countries because their radars cannot communicate with the SM-3. A common datalink that operates with both X- and S-band radars is a very affordable, near-term solution that allows Europe to take advantage of proven technologies available today.’

He added: ‘The dual-band datalink has significant implications for our US Navy customers as well, because it allows them to save money by eliminating the need to maintain two separate inventories of Standard Missiles for the Zumwalt (X-band) and Aegis (S-band) ship classes.’