AgustaWestland has awarded SELEX Sensors and Airborne Systems (SELEX S&AS) a contract to provide the multi-mode e-scan surveillance radar for the UK Military of Defence’s ‘Future Lynx’ helicopter program. The £20 M contract will see the company’s Seaspray 7000E radar, which has the latest Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar technology, installed on the Royal Navy’s Surface Combatant Maritime Rotorcraft (SCMR), a variant of the Future Lynx helicopter.
This latest AESA radar win builds on the contract awarded by Lockheed Martin for the Common Processor for the Blue Kestrel radar on the Royal Navy’s Merlin Capability Sustainment Plus (MCSP) program. This standardization allows the significant benefits of coherent system acquisition to be achieved across the Royal Navy helicopter fleet, both operationally and economically.
Nick Franks, SELEX S&AS UK managing director, said, “We are delighted to support this important future MoD helicopter program. SELEX S&AS believes that the future lies in AESA radar systems and has invested heavily in developing the most advanced electronic scanning systems in the world. These systems are leading edge but they are also proven to be reliable and the technology is recognized as low risk – giving customers the confidence of knowing that they are above all dependable. The advantages of our AESA technology are now being recognized by customers on both sides of the Atlantic and we really believe that the future for radar is AESA.”