SMART-L onboard F221 HessenaSachsen class frigate
| |
| Country of origin | Netherlands |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Thales Nederland |
SMART-L (Signaal Multibeam Acquisition Radar for Tracking, L band)[1] is a long-range naval search radar introduced in 2002 by Thales Nederland, formerly Hollandse Signaalapparaten (Signaal).
The digital antenna array has 24 elements; all are used for reception, while 16 are used for creating virtual receiver beams through digital beamforming. The beams' vertical elevation, and compensation for ship movement, is done electronically.[1] Horizontal training is done by mechanically rotating the entire array.
As designed, SMART-L has a maximum range of 400 km (220 nmi) against patrol aircraft, and 65 km (35 nmi) against stealthy missiles.[2] A software upgrade, Extended Long Range (ELR) Mode, extends the maximum range for the detection of ballistic missiles to over 2000 km, since 2018 all 4 Zeven Provincien class Frigates of the Royal Netherlands Navy have been equipped with the update.[3]
On the 25th of September 2017, as part of the exercise Formidable Shield 2017 the SMART-L MM radar system mounted on the test tower at the Thales premises in Hengelo, detected and tracked a ballistic missile launched from the Hebrides in Scotland at an average range of more than 1500 km without difficulties. The Thales SMART-L Multi Mission radar in Hengelo detected the target as soon as it appeared over the horizon and maintained a stable track for more than 300 seconds. The track quality was sufficient to enable Launch On Remote by BMD-capable naval ships.[4]
| Ship class / Location | Operator(s) | Variant | Total units |
|---|---|---|---|
| De Zeven Provinciën-class frigate |  Royal Netherlands Navy
|
SMART-L MM/N | 4 |
| Sachsen-class frigate |  Deutsche Marine
|
SMART-L | 3 |
| Type 45 destroyer |  Royal Navy
|
S1850M | 6 |
| Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier | Royal Navy
|
S1850M | 2 |
| Horizon-class frigate |  French Navy /  Italian Navy
|
S1850M | 2 / 2 |
| Dokdo-class amphibious assault ship |  Republic of Korea Navy
|
SMART-L | 1 |
| Iver Huitfeldt-class frigate |  Royal Danish Navy
|
SMART-L | 3 |
| Air Operations Control Station Nieuw-Milligen |  Royal Netherlands Air Force
|
SMART-L MM/F | 2 |
| Swedish Air Defence & Control |  Swedish Air Force
|
SMART-L MM/F[6] | TBD |
| Total | 26 | ||
|
| |
|---|---|
| Divisions and subsidiaries |
|
| Joint ventures |
|
| Products |
|
| Predecessors |
|
| |
