During the US-led multinational exercise Formidable Shield 2017, the KRONOS Grand Naval radar, installed on board of Italy’s “Luigi Rizzo” FREMM Frigate, demonstrated the ability to detect, classify and track with outstanding accuracy the tactical ballistic missiles (TBMs) launched during the live exercise.
The exercise took place at the UK Ministry of Defence Hebrides Range and involved navies from Italy, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, the USA and the United Kingdom. The demonstration highlighted the ability of ships from different nations to cooperate in order to defend against airborne threats, both those flying hundreds of kilometers (ballistic missiles) and those flying just a few dozen meters above sea level (such as anti-ship missiles), at the same time.
ITS Luigi Rizzo is the second FREMM in General Purpose (GP) version (and sixth overall for the Italian Navy)
During the exercise, the KRONOS Grand Naval demonstrated that its multi-functional capabilities allow it to perform several types of operational missions. These include air surveillance and missile defence against traditional aerial threats, maneuvering at a variety of altitudes, and defence against tactical ballistic missiles, whose speed and trajectories are extremely challenging even for modern defensive systems. Additionally, Leonardo’s ATHENA Combat Management System demonstrated its own ability to make use of the KRONOS Grand multi-mission radar effectively in an Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) environment. ATHENA shared all tracks, including for ballistic missiles, via data link, making the information provided by the KRONOS Grand Naval available in real time to allied ships and improving the ability of the multi-national task force to effectively cooperate.
During the exercise, the KRONOS Grand Naval demonstrated that its multi-functional capabilities allow it to perform several types of operational missions. Leonardo picture.
The KRONOS Grand is the most technologically advanced multi-functional radar belonging to the AESA (Active Electronic Scanning Antenna) KRONOS radar family, which can cover a wide range of applications. It is based on a fully solid-state AESA design and is entirely produced by Leonardo in naval and land variants. To date, around 30 KRONOS radar systems have been delivered to domestic Italian customers as well as those in the Middle East, Asia Pacific and South America.
KRONOS Grand can be integrated into a defence surveillance network, contributing to overall complete Recognised Air Picture (RAP). When integrated into a surface-to-air missile system, the radar can provide multiple missile uplinks simultaneously.
Leonardo’s Combat Management Systems (CMS) equip the units of the Italian Navy and several international naval forces including those in the UAE, Bahrain and Algeria.
The company’s KRONOS radars and C4I systems are effective solutions for land and naval-based Integrated Air and Missile Defence, operationally proven to counter all air threats, including cruise missiles and tactical ballistic missiles.
