Latest News

12 September 2011 :: Reutech’s RSR 210N Air/Sea Surveillance Radar Completes Final Qualification

Electronicon A.S. a Norwegian defence equipment supply company was contracted in December 2007 by the Norwegian Defence Logistics Organisation (NDLO) to supply five RSR 210N X-Band air/ sea surveillance radars. This contract was awarded for radar systems to be applied aboard the Aegis-equipped Fridtjof Nansen-class frigates of the Royal Norwegian Navy with primary role as helicopter control radar and additional supplementary surveillance capabilities. Reutech Radar Systems, a South African radar development and manufacturing company was contracted by Electronicon A.S. as the major sub-supplier into the program.

To date RSR 210N has been installed aboard KNM Otto Sverdrup, KNM Roald Amundsen and KNM Fridtjof Nansen with the balance of the five systems on schedule for delivery later this year and early next year.

A significant milestone was reached with the successful completion of the Final Qualification Review following Sea Acceptance Trials in Norwegian waters at the end of June this year. As part of the run-up to these trials, several engineering trials were conducted, often executed under adverse weather and sea state conditions. The trials collectively proved the system’s ability to provide the ship with a high performance supplementary air/sea surveillance capability as well as to provide high accuracy helicopter position reporting even under complex clutter conditions encountered in the Norwegian landward, littoral and open sea environments.

These trials comprised extensive accuracy measurements, near and far range detection performance of both air and sea targets as well as the system’s ability to classify targets as surface, fixed wing or helicopter. Sustained performance in the presence of electronic counter-measures has confirmed the status of RSR 210N as a true naval radar.

The successful completion of the Final Qualification Review establishes RSR 210N’s operational standing aboard principal warships of a leading NATO navy. 

21 July 2011 :: Deployment of a Reutech Thutlwa ESR 220 to South Sudan

As part of the independence celebrations, the South African government deployed a military contingent to Juba in South Sudan, Africa’s newest state. The purpose was to provide radar coverage for the airfield and the necessary airspace control for all the visiting heads of states and other VIP’s at the airport. A SANDF Air Defence Artillery Formation Thutlwa Radar System was deployed at Juba airport to support the SA Air Force in providing radar coverage of the airfield for Airspace Management / Air Traffic control functionality.

After travelling more than 500km by road from Kimberley to Pretoria the Thutlwa system was loaded on board an Ilyushin II-76 cargo aircraft which flew another 5000km to Juba. The Thutlwa system was off-loaded and deployed and was declared operational the same day with an air picture via the Air Picture Display System to the air traffic controllers.

This heralded the first ever deployment of a Reutech Thutlwa Radar System beyond the borders of South Africa and only the third ever operational deployment in an operatiopn other than war mission of the system. The first being the 2010 Soccer World Cup and the second was in an Air Border safeguarding operation earlier this year.