Euronaval 2022: Rohde & Schwarz to launch new naval electronic support solution

The F222 Baden-Württemberg-class frigate of the German Navy is pictured here. An earlier variant of the R&S electronic solution can be seen on top of the vessel. (CPIZ Marine/Gottschalk)

Rohde & Schwarz (R&S) will launch its new naval electronic support (ES) solution at Euronaval 2022, which will be held from 18 to 21 October 2022 in Paris.

The solution uniquely combines radar electronic support measures (R-ESM) and communication ESM (C-ESM) into a single antenna, increasing reaction time and enhancing situational awareness, the company said on 17 October.

Adaptable and scalable to requirements, the solution detects, identifies, and locates communication and radar emissions, with a high degree of sensitivity, reaction time, and probability of intercept. It therefore enables the surveillance and detection of potential naval threats and operating patterns through the electromagnetic spectrum, the company detailed.

Operating in the 0.5–40 GHz frequency range, the solution receives signals in the very-high frequency and ultra-high frequency bands, Michael Niewöhner, vice-president of RESM and electronic intelligence, R&S, told Janes and other media representatives at a company briefing in September. The emitter library is also capable of storing tens of thousands of signatures, Niewöhner added.

R&S has not yet specified the name of the ES solution.

According to Niewöhner, the system has a maximum detection range of 350 km, although the detection of surface vessels is limited to around 70–80 km, depending on the height of the target and the antenna.

The solution is already in service with the German Navy's Baden-Württemberg-class frigates and the company is delivering a more enhanced system for the new German Navy's F126 frigates, Niewöhner said. Known as project Kora, it was announced in November 2021 that R&S would deliver an ES solution for the F126 frigates.