SAMPSON
Encyclopedia
The SAMPSON is a multi-function AESA radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...

 produced by BAE Systems
BAE Systems
BAE Systems plc is a British multinational defence, security and aerospace company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, that has global interests, particularly in North America through its subsidiary BAE Systems Inc. BAE is among the world's largest military contractors; in 2009 it was the...

 Integrated System Technologies
BAE Systems Integrated System Technologies
BAE Systems Integrated System Technologies was formed on May 3, 2005, by bringing together BAE Systems' interests in C4ISR and the UK operations of AMS following the Eurosystems Transaction....

. The SAMPSON multi function radar system is described by BAE Systems as being a world beating air defence system. The SAMPSON System can detect all types of targets out to a distance of 400 km, and is capable of tracking hundreds of targets at any one time.

History

SAMPSON is derived from the Multi-function Electronically Scanned ARray (MESAR) programme. MESAR 1 development commenced as a partnership between Plessey
Plessey
The Plessey Company plc was a British-based international electronics, defence and telecommunications company. It originated in 1917, growing and diversifying into electronics. It expanded after the second world war by acquisition of companies and formed overseas companies...

, Roke Manor Research
Roke Manor Research Limited
Founded in 1956, Roke Manor Research Limited is a UK company based at Roke Manor in Romsey, Hampshire. It is a contract research and development business for communications, networks, and electronic sensors. In addition to supporting Chemring, work is also conducted in both the public and private...

 and the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency
Defence Evaluation and Research Agency
The Defence Evaluation and Research Agency was a part of the UK Ministry of Defence until July 2, 2001. At the time it was the United Kingdom's largest science and technology organisation...

. Plessey was acquired by Siemens in 1989 to become Siemens-Plessey, itself acquired by British Aerospace in 1998. British Aerospace became BAE Systems in November 1999. MESAR 1 trials occurred between 1989 and 1994. MESAR 2 development began in August 1995, of which SAMPSON is a derivative.

The Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

 intended to deploy the SAMPSON MFR on its version of the Horizon CNGF - a collaboration with France and Italy to produce anti-air warfare frigates. Following delays and complications the UK withdrew and started its own Type 45 programme. The Type 45 destroyer
Type 45 destroyer
The United Kingdom's Type 45 destroyer is an air defence destroyer programme of the Royal Navy which will replace its Type 42 destroyers. The first ship in the class, HMS Daring, was launched on 1 February 2006 and commissioned on 23 July 2009. The ships are now built by BAE Systems Surface Ships...

s use the SAMPSON radar with the PAAMS
PAAMS
The Principal Anti Air Missile System is a joint French/Italian/British programme for a naval anti-aircraft weapon. The prime contractor is EUROPAAMS, a joint venture between Eurosam and MBDA subsidiary UKAMS . MBDA also owns 66% of Eurosam, in effect giving it a 77% share of the project...

 missile system, which was also developed for the Horizon frigates (French and Italian ships are to be fitted with the EMPAR
EMPAR
EMPAR is a rotating G band multifunction Phased array radar built by Selex. It is designed to be the principle radar system aboard naval vessels of medium and large sizes...

 MFR). The SAMPSON Radar is made in Cowes, Isle of Wight.

Operation

Conventional radars, consisting of a rotating transmitter and sensor, have limited power, are vulnerable to enemy jamming and perform only one function - with separate units therefore required for surveillance, tracking and targeting.

As an active array, SAMPSON uses software to shape and direct its beam allowing several functions to be carried out at once and, through adaptive waveform control, is virtually immune to enemy jamming. Active arrays have both longer range and higher accuracy than conventional radars.

The SAMPSON uses two planar arrays to provide coverage over only part of the sky; complete coverage is provided by rotating the arrays, essentially similar to the way conventional radar systems operate. This is in contrast to the US AN/SPY-1
AN/SPY-1
The AN/SPY-1 is a US naval radar system manufactured by Lockheed Martin. The array is a passive electronically scanned system and is a key component of the Aegis Combat System. The system is computer controlled, using four complementary antennas to provide 360 degree coverage...

 system (as used on the Ticonderoga class cruiser
Ticonderoga class cruiser
The Ticonderoga class of missile cruisers is a class of warships in the United States Navy, first ordered and authorized in FY 1978. The class uses phased-array radar and was originally planned as a class of destroyers...

 and Arleigh Burke class destroyer
Arleigh Burke class destroyer
The Arleigh Burke class of guided missile destroyers is the United States Navy's first class of destroyer built around the Aegis combat system and the SPY-1D multi-function phased array radar. The class is named for Admiral Arleigh "31-Knot" Burke, the most famous American destroyer officer of...

) or the Dutch/German/Canadian APAR
Active Phased Array Radar
APAR is a shipborne multifunction radar developed and manufactured by Thales Nederland. It is the first Active Electronically Scanned Array MFR employed on an operational warship.-Characteristics:...

 system (as used on the Royal Dutch Navy's De Zeven Provinciën class frigate
De Zeven Provinciën class frigate
The De Zeven Provinciën class frigates are highly advanced air-defence and command frigates in service with the Koninklijke Marine . This class of ships is also known as LCF...

s, the German Navy's Sachsen class frigate
Sachsen class frigate
The F124 Sachsen class is Germany's latest class of highly advanced air-defense frigates. The design of the Sachsen class frigate is based on that of the F123 Brandenburg class but with enhanced stealth features intended to deceive any opponent's radar and acoustic sensors and incorporate also the...

s, and the Royal Danish Navy's Ivar Huitfeldt class frigate
Ivar Huitfeldt class frigate
The Iver Huitfeldt class will be a three-ship class of frigates entering service with the Royal Danish Navy in 2012 and 2013.-Background:...

s), which use multiple arrays fixed in place to provide continuous coverage of the entire sky. Whilst this may seem to be a disadvantage, the SAMPSON radar rotates at 30 revolutions per minute, meaning no part of the sky lacks coverage for more than one second on average - the precise time varies as the beams can also be swept back and forth electronically. In addition, the use of a smaller number of arrays allows the system to be much lighter, allowing placement of the arrays at the top of a prominent mast rather than on the side of the superstructure as in the US ships. Placing any radar emitter at higher altitude extends the horizon distance, improving performance against low level targets; SAMPSON is at approximately double the height above the waterline than the arrays of its US equivalents. Although precise details of the SAMPSON's performance in this regard are unlikely to enter the public domain, such factors may mitigate the disadvantages of fewer arrays.

BAE Systems have also claimed that Sampson eliminates the need for several separate systems. They suggest that on the Type 45 destroyer, the Alenia Marconi Systems/Signaal [now Thales Nederland
Thales Nederland
Thales Nederland B.V. is a subsidiary of Thales Group involved primarily in naval defence systems...

] S 1850M long-range 3D radar that is designed to work in partnership with Sampson "really is superfluous and is not needed to perform the mission of the ship". BAE Systems believes that the reason the large volume search radar has been incorporated in to PAAMS is "more of a historic nature, associated with [the] work sharing issues" that were a huge problem during the trilateral Project Horizon.

Some tasks are difficult to combine, for example (long range) volume search takes a lot of radar resources, leaving little room for other tasks such as targeting. Combining volume search with other tasks also results either in slow search rates or in low overall quality per task. Driving parameters in radar performance is time-on-target or observation time per beam. This is perhaps a the [sic] key reason why the Royal Navy selected the S1850M Long Range Radar to complement Sampson on the Type 45 destroyers. It is also a reason why NATO in its NATO Anti-Air Warfare System study (NAAWS) defined the preferred AAW system as consisting of a complementary Volume Search Radar and MFR. This - as NATO points out - gives the added advantage that the two systems can use two different radar frequencies; one being a good choice for long range search, the other a good choice for an MFR (which is especially nice as physics makes both tasks difficult to combine).


The performance of both the SAMPSON radar and the PAAMS' Aster
MBDA Aster
Aster is a family of surface-to-air missiles manufactured by Eurosam, a European consortium consisting of MBDA France, MBDA Italy and the Thales Group .-Overview:The Aster family was developed to perform three distinct missions:...

 missiles will give the Royal Navy an anti-air warfare capability to replace its long serving Type 42 destroyers. The first Type 45, HMS Daring
HMS Daring (D32)
HMS Daring is the lead ship of the Type 45 or 'D' class of air defence destroyer in the Royal Navy and the seventh ship to hold that name.She was launched in 2006 on the Clyde and conducted contractor's sea trials during 2007 and 2008...

 was launched on February 1 2006. The ship was fitted with SAMPSON and S1850M
S1850M
The S1850M is a long range radar for wide area search. The S1850M is produced by BAE Systems Integrated System Technologies and Thales. It is a modified version of the Thales Nederland SMART-L radar. The S1850M is advertised as being capable of fully automatic detection, track initiation and...

radars in 2007. She underwent trials before being commissioned in July 2009.

Modes

  • Long and medium-range search
  • Surface picture search
  • High-speed horizon search
  • High-angle search and track
  • Multiple target tracking and multiple channel fire control.
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