Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) Ltd. recently completed installation of the Advanced Lightweight Phased Array (ALPHA) ELM-2258 radar system on the Israeli Navy’s Saar 4.5 missile ship. This innovative lightweight radar system is now undergoing operational sea trials. The system is based on full digital active electronically scanned array (AESA) technology developed by ELTA Systems Ltd., a group and subsidiary of IAI. Its small size makes it suitable for installation on small- and medium-sized vessels, such as missile ships and offshore patrol vessels (OPVs).
The ALPHA system is a rotating AESA radar that is capable of producing a large number of simultaneous beams for illuminating multiple aerial and maritime targets. The radar provides high-resolution scanning images, even in severe maritime environments and dense signal conditions. The radar can perform several tasks at the same time, including detection and classification of naval targets; tracking of a large number of targets; and integration into guided missile systems for defense and attack. The Israeli Navy is expecting to receive two more ALPHA radar systems by the end of 2017, bringing the total number of such systems installed on Israeli missile ships to 11.
