ELTA Systems, a subsidiary of Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), is to supply four ELM-2248 MF-STAR multi-function digital radars for the Israeli Navy’s recently-acquired SA’AR 6 corvettes, the company announced on 27 February. The vessels are tasked to protect Israel’s maritime domain and critical assets, such as natural gas platforms, against missiles, rockets and hostile aircraft.

To be installed on the ship’s masts, the MF-STAR, which is based on the latest active electronically scanned array (AESA) technology, comprises four conformal phased array S-band antennas, providing 360° coverage. The Israeli Navy selected this version as it is optimised for the SA’AR 6, offering maximum performance. AESA technology allows for faster threat alert response time, better accuracy and the ability to simultaneously track multiple targets of different types, thereby providing an optimal situational awareness picture (SAP). When confronted by incoming threats, the radar rapidly provides relevant data to the relevant onboard weapon system, such as gunnery and surface-to-air issiles, in order to deliver an appropriate response. Optical networking and antenna tile architecture makes the system significantly lighter than similar radars, without reducing its capabilities or functionality, the company stated.

“ELTA is a long-time supplier of leading-edge radar systems to the Israeli Navy and Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). The IDF has a long history of being a technology innovator when it comes to procuring the newest technologies, and the MF-STAR best fits that category. The MF-STAR was designed from the ground up with innovative and reliable technologies, based on our experience of over half a century of producing and deploying a vast array of radar systems,” commented IAI Vice President and CEO of ELTA, Yoav Tourgeman.