The Ministries of Defence of France, Italy and the United Kingdom, represented by OCCAR, have signed a contract renewal with Thales for the maintenance and support of the S1850M volume search radars in use by their Navies. Thales confirms its key position in maintaining operational availability of these radar systems and demonstrates its commitment to work more closely with its customers all over the world.

The contract, which covers a period of 3 years, with an optional additional 2 years, was signed on behalf of the three nations by OCCAR (Organisation for Joint Armament Co-operation).  The new service contract includes high quality support services such as desk support, an on-site technical assistance, and implementation of the Thales Customer Portal. It includes also a yearly obsolescence scan and health check in addition to more complex tasks such as monitoring and configuration management. Thales will also annually host Customer Days, for attendance by representatives from the three Navies and OCCAR.

The S1850M radar, based on the Thales' SMART-L Volume Search Radar, is the long-range radar (LRR) of the Principal Anti Air Missile System (PAAMS) used on the Royal Navy’s Type 45 Destroyers, Queen Elisabeth class Aircraft Carriers and the French and Italian class Horizon Frigates.

The S1850M system is a 3D multibeam radar designed to provide long-range air & surface surveillance and target designation. Additional capabilities can be introduced during lifetime according to customer needs. This makes the radar future proof in case of evolving requirements. With fully automatic detection and track initiation, this radar part of the Ballistic Missile Defence System can track up to 1,000 air targets at a range of around 400 kilometres, including stealth targets in cluttered environments.

With 26 systems sold to the leading European navies, SMART-L and its derivative S1850M have become the de facto NATO standard for naval long-range radar systems. “This service contract proves that Thales’ naval sensors can meet user requirements for a great many years. We are glad to keep supporting three of Europe’s leading navies in their mission to protect their nations, personnel and valuable assets. This contract demonstrates the increasing need for cooperation between defence organizations and industry in Europe. Uniformity of equipment facilitates this cooperation.”  – Gerben Edelijn, SVP of Above Water Systems.