Thales has been awarded a contract by the French Defence Procurement Agency (DGA) to provide new gun and missile fire control radar for frigates.

Under the contract, the company will deliver seven Thales STIR-radars for installation on French Navy frigates.

From the total radars, five will be deployed on the future intermediate-size frigates (FTI), with the remaining two installed on FREDA-frigates.

The all-weather STIR-radar features advanced stealth target tracking capability. It has been designed to ensure accuracy and reliability even when operating in high clutter environments and multipath conditions.

Thales sales manager Paul de Ceuninck van Capelle said: “With this project, Thales will deliver the fire control radar STIR to the most advanced frigate of one of world’s leading navies. The first delivery is scheduled first half 2020, and the following systems will be delivered in line with the shipbuilding programme.”



“Thales will deliver the fire control radar STIR to the most advanced frigate of one of world’s leading navies.”

Belonging to the Thales Track radars family, STIR 1.2 EO Mk2 is the latest version of the gun and missile fire control system.

The dual-band STIR 1.2 EO Mk2 radar is equipped with a full EO suite for ECCM performance and a complete set of solid-state transmitters.

The system provides high-precision fire control for small to medium calibre guns and short-range missile systems, as well as optional continuous wave illumination for guidance of semi-active homing missiles.

Last year, the French Defence Ministry announced a contract attribution to Naval Group for the development and construction of five intermediate-size FTI frigates.

The first frigate is expected to be delivered in 2023 and will enter active service in 2025.