Kelvin Hughes Announces New Compact Radar

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Kelvin Hughes has unveiled a new radar surveillance system for small military vessels at this year's DSEi (Defence Security and Equiptement International). DSEi is the UK's largest international defence exhibition, held every two years in London Dockyards. The SharpEye™ 50W SCV system is designed to offer small vessels (up to 30 metres in length) greater situational awareness.

The SCV system incorporates SharpEye™'s I (X) band solid state technology, replacing the traditional magnetron based systems with a fully coherent solidstate transceiver, in a lightweight, environmentally sealed unit with multiple dome options. The SCV presents small craft operators with a radar picture via a chosen display option, tailored to their requirements.

Small and Compact, the SharpEye™ radar system offers greater
situational awareness for small vessels [image: Kelvin Hughes]
The system is compact, being 720mm by 220mm and weighing only 10kg. According to Kelvin Hughes, although the SCV is more compact, it ‘offers the enhanced performance and reliability afforded by the higher power SharpEye™ radar.’ Small radar systems traditionally struggle with the distinguishing between multiple objects at long distance due to the limited size of their antenna. Objects can merge into one, only separating at closer ranges.

The SCV system can detect a man in the water up to 1 NM (Nautical Mile) away, a small boat at 2.5 NM and a large boat at 24 NM. As well as detecting surface objects, the system can also detect aerial targets such as low level UAVs.

The system can be installed on a variety of vessels such as Hovercraft, patrol boats, fast attack craft, life boats, search and rescue vessels and landing craft. It was reportedly designed for ‘Special Forces, raiding teams, boarding and search and rescue missions'.

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