Article Posted on : - Oct 18, 2012

An Israel Shipyards photo

TEL AVIV (BNS): The Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has received a contract to equip the Israeli Navy's Sa'ar 4.5-class missile ships with ALPHA radar systems.

The new Advanced Lightweight Phased Array Radar (ALPHA) will replace the existing weapon systems - the Automatic Missile Detection Radar (AMDR) and the Dagon Surface Search radar - on the missile ships.

"ALPHA, a radar developed and produced by ELTA Systems, an IAI group and subsidiary, is a key component of the ship's weapon system and is able to perform a variety of missions simultaneously such as multiple target tracking and identification, and defence munitions guidance. It provides 360-degree defense against a wide variety of airborne platforms and munitions," IAI said, without disclosing the contract amount.

The ALPHA radar, also known as the ELM- 2258, is a derivative of the Multi-Function Surveillance and Threat Alert Radar (MF-STAR), which is being produced under contract with the Israel Navy as well as for foreign navies, the defence firm said.

The Israeli Navy currently operates eight Sa'ar 4.5-class missile craft which have been built by the Israel Shipyards Ltd. as an improvement over the previous Sa'ar 4-class missile boats.