Defence and security company Saab extends its surface radar portfolio, with the introduction of five all-new complementary Giraffe radars for land and sea. This strengthens the current product offering but also takes the Giraffe firmly into the long-range air surveillance domain and puts an entirely new capability onto the market.
Saab’s combat-proven and highly-regarded surface radar portfolio, including the renowned Giraffe AMB and Arthur radars, has been improved and expanded through the addition of new technologies and designs. Alongside its existing products, Saab is now producing new active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar variants for land and sea.
These radars use leap-ahead design techniques that put them in a class of their own in terms of performance and capability. For the first time Saab’s Giraffe radars also offer a solution for long-range air surveillance. There is now a Giraffe option for every air surveillance and air defence application, on land and at sea.
Saab has more than 30 years of AESA design experience. This depth of experience –and Saab’s understanding of radar cost, performance, reliability and packaging issues – results in a unique technology solution. Saab’s advanced surface-based radars are highly-effective against multiple ‘difficult’ air targets in the most dense and challenging operational environments.
“I’m proud to present this important milestone in our surface radar development,” says Micael Johansson, head of Saab’s business area Electronic Defence Systems. “Our portfolio now caters for all advanced radar requirements, from very short- to long-range air defence, but also surveillance, and weapons location with true multi-role functionality.”
Members of Saab’s surface-based radar family for land and sea now include:
- Giraffe 1X and Sea Giraffe 1X: short-range radars fitted with an X-band AESA, offering a comprehensive set of 3D functions with impressive performance and flexibility.
- Giraffe 4A and Sea Giraffe 4A: medium- to long-range radars, combining air surveillance, air defence, sense and warn and weapon locating capabilities in a single, low-footprint S-band AESA-based unit.
- Giraffe 8A: a long-range S-band AESA radar, including anti-ballistic missile capability, that pushes performance and functionality to a new level.
- Giraffe AMB and Sea Giraffe AMB: Saab’s existing short- to medium-range surveillance radar and command and control system for ground-based air defence. These combat proven C-band systems have now been enhanced with increased range and coverage.
- Arthur: Saab’s combat proven C-band medium-range weapons-locating system which detects and locates enemy fire. With 80 units sold to date, the system’s performance and functionality has now been further enhanced.
Saab’s In-Service Solutions is another vital part of the overall radar family product offering and is currently contracted by more than 20 customers worldwide. Saab’s radar logistics support removes 100 percent of real-life risks related to cost of ownership and has proven to deliver 98.5 percent long-term mission availability.
Finally, Saab also offers a Common Radar Upgrade solution, providing upgrades to or extending the lifetime of customers’ existing (non-Saab) radar systems.
Saab is one of the world’s leading radar suppliers with 60 years of experience and more than 3,000 radar systems in operation in 30 countries.
Saab serves the global market with world-leading products, services and solutions ranging from military defence to civil security. Saab has operations and employees on all continents and constantly develops, adopts and improves new technology to meet customers’ changing needs.
