Thales selected for UK’s Merlin airborne surveillance helicopters
The UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) and prime contractor Lockheed Martin have selected the Thales Searchwater radar and Cerberus mission system for the Royal Navy’s Crowsnest helicopter-borne surveillance programme.
The decision, which saw Lockheed Martin overlook its own offering (a dual-pod radar based on IAI Elta’s EL/M-2052 AESA multi-mode radar), means the MoD can now conclude the £27 million ‘Assessment Phase 3’ of the Crowsnest programme, which will equip Merlin Mk2 helicopters to provide protection for the navy’s next-generation Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers as well as wider surveillance/reconnaissance missions.
Crowsnest will replace the Sea King helicopter’s legacy Searchwater and
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