Saab will continue to support South Korea’s Arthur (Artillery Hunting Radar) following the signing of a five-year deal announced on 29 November.
The contract with South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration has been valued at SEK795 million (US$76.7 million) and will run until 2028. The Swedish company will provide product support and supply of spare parts.
Saab will carry out the work with its local support team in South Korea, in cooperation with a team in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Since the first delivery of the Arthur to South Korea in 2009, Saab has been awarded several contracts to provide spare parts and maintenance services for the system.
In September 2018, Saab received another of support contracts worth approximately $56.8 million and covering the period 2018–23.
Shephard Defence Insight noted that Arthur was capable of detecting, tracking and determining the point of origin and impact of artillery shells, mortar projectiles and rockets. The system can be used to register and correct outgoing fire. It has also been used for force protection to warn of incoming fire.
The phased-array antenna and operator shelter can be mounted on a 4x4 truck or tracked armoured vehicle. Its range is 30km (guns) to 60km (rockets, mortars) while functioning modes include weapon location/fire control/sense and warn.