Chestnut
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The TRS-4D is in a league ahead of the SMART-S.Well, a bit disapointed if a big warship using the same radar as smaller ship but then again, money talks. And even F125 using it too.
So TRS-4D or Smart-S mk.2 is in the same class. Choose Smart-S for commonality with the exisiting radars or TRS-4D for cheaper product.
I'm thinking about using Terma's products for ships up to OPV. And Thales for frigate and above.
It has better target acquisition and reliability, and is actually the more expensive of the two. The 10,000 ton Bundesmarine MKS180 Omega frigate also uses it.
The SMART-S series is also becoming a dated system. For a SUW /ASW vessel, the Mk2 is more than enough but when you want a dedicated AAW vessel you're essentially wasting money at that point. Capabilities alone, the TRS-4D may provide better performance than just the bands would imply because of its relative age and use of more modern MMIC tech.
Quoting a colleague who does studies and work on radars, "It's a split-the-middle single system solution that offers good enough acquisition and engagement without needing two separate radar systems.."
It would be a GREAT combination, something that theoretically could give the AN/SPY-1 a run for its money. SMART-L is going to offer better acquisition capability while TRS-4D is going to give you your engagement performance.that's why i crave for Fixed Array TRS-4D (the fixed one and rotator version have a slight difference in specification and performance) + SMART-L combination
In a perfect world I agree with you, but in reality that's really hard to achieve not on just cost alone. You are right that the two together would provide an EXCEPTIONAL amount of capability but the problem starts with the integration work. Hensoldt and THALES are genuine competitors so it would really hard to convince them to work together, also you likely would have to pay a lot of money not on the SMART-L unit itself but on the bespoke integration work.
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