ROME \u2014 Italy\u2019s Leonardo is edging closer to producing a fully digital, active electronically scanned array radar \u2014 the only one of its kind in Europe according to the firm \u2014 with initial components now being manufactured.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The L-band Kronos Power Shield radar is being built for the Italian Navy\u2019s new Landing Helicopter Dock vessel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe are evolving the new Leonardo AESA radar into a fully digital system, which allows us to manage a bigger amount of data in less time, so enhancing the radar performance,\u201d said Renzo Tosini, naval and Air Defence line of business director at Leonardo\u2019s Land and Naval Defence Electronics division.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Active Electronically Scanned Array radars use grids of small Transmit Receive Modules, each generating an individual radar beam which can be combined to create a larger, composite, directed radar beam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With each TRM containing its own power source, the break down of one TRM barely affects overall performance, unlike traditional radars where a sole power source behind the antenna powered the entire radar, meaning total breakdown if the power source was lost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The key novelty in Leonardo\u2019s new radar is that the transmitting and receiving signal is already digital at the level of the single radiating element.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe new L band radar is based on \u2018digital\u2019 TRMs hosted into so-called \u2018Digital Active Tile\u2019 blocks,\u201d said Tosini.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGoing fully digital means the radar transceiver is thinner and allows the radar system to process more information faster,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The roughly 40 square meter rotating radar will offer an instrumental extended surveillance range of 1,500 – 2,000 km.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Italy\u2019s Fincantieri started work in July on Italy\u2019s new 1.1 billion euro LHD, a 25 knot, 200 metre long vessel that will enter service in around 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The multi-functional radar will equip Italy\u2019s LHD and the Landing Platform Dock that Fincantieri will build for Qatar, said Tosini.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The new technology is being developed as Fincantieri enters talks to jointly build warships with France\u2019s Naval Group. Politicians in Italy have raised fears that the systems, like radar, which Leonardo has long supplied to Fincantieri ships might be squeezed out of the joint program by kit supplied by France\u2019s Thales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Leonardo is also offering flat panel C and X band radars known as Kronos which will be used on Italy\u2019s new multi-purpose PPA frigates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Italy\u2019s Leonardo is edging closer to producing a fully digital, active electronically scanned array radar \u2014 the only one of its kind in Europe according to the firm \u2014 with initial components now being manufactured.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":69205,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":12,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[46,11,12,16],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3345],"class_list":["post-31398","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-europe","category-global","category-industry","category-naval"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"AY2EQAKQ6VFYFFYOOWJUAXWF5Q","arc_canonical_url":"\/industry\/2017\/12\/06\/leonardo-works-on-europes-first-fully-digital-radar\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"\n