Turkish Navy purchases Thales sensors for MILGEM class corvette
In December 2007 the Turkish company Aselsan signed a contract with Thales Nederland for the delivery of sensors for the first MILGEM class corvette that is being built for the Turkish Navy. The sensors are the SMART-S Mk2 surveillance radar and the STING EO Mk2 sensor system. The SCOUT Mk2 surface surveillance radar is an option that has not yet been decided on.
The Turkish companies Havelsan and Aselsan are responsible for the complete combat system on board of the MILGEM class vessels. The Thales systems will be integrated in the Genesis combat management system that is developed by the Software Development Center of the Turkish Navy, and will be modified for MILGEM by the Turkish companies Yaltes and Havelsan.
The MILGEM corvette is being built by Istanbul Naval Shipyard. The first ship (Heybeliada) is expected to be handed over to the Turkish Navy in 2011. The Thales systems will be delivered early 2010. A contract for more ships of the MILGEM class is expected late 2008.
SMART-S Mk2 is Thales’ E/F-band 3D medium to long range Volume Search Radar, optimised for operation in littoral conditions. Its size and weight fit Fast Attack Craft and larger types of vessels. SMART-S Mk2 is perfectly suited for Anti Air Warfare and Anti Surface Warfare applications. The system has a coverage of 250 km in range and up to 70 degrees in elevation and is fully solid state, guaranteeing very high availability. SMART-S Mk2’s capabilities also include surface surveillance, surface gunfire support and helicopter guidance. This is the tenth SMART-S Mk2 system under contract.
STING is a medium-range, lightweight dual band (I and K) weapon control system, primarily for gun control. It combines a 1.2 m fully solid state radar director with a complete set of electro-optic equipment (TV/IR/Laser), including optronic tracking and an automatic “best sensor” selection process. The IR Camera and Laser Range Finder are supplied by Aselsan. The three sensor data sources (I, K, EO) provide high redundancy, high performance and ECCM resistance. Eleven STING-EO Mk2 systems are under contract today.
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