Herakles, with sides removed, (Thales) ‘Thales showed this privately developed S-band active-array mul- tifunction radar at Bourget Euronaval in October 2002, Its single face rotates at a fixed rate of 60 rpm, As in EMPAR (which is not related), the beam can be made to scan more slowly by scanning it against the direction of antenna rotation. The unique feature of the radar is that it uses a microwave lens (1,761 phase shilters) t0 steer the beam created by a small array of Rx/Tx elements. Thales describes the radar as having an active retina comprising a 4X 4 array of microwave horns, There is also a zenith horn, Each horn is fed by four Rx/Tx elements. The lens through which the radia- tion passes can steer the beam up to 70 deg in clevation, The en- tire nacelle is stabilized. Given this configuration, the radar can create four beams con- currently in elevation, Alternatively, all transmitter power can be fed imto a single beam. Peak power is 50 kW. All tracking is monopulse; the system can handle 400 tracks simultancously (typically, 200 air and 200 surface targets). Typical track-formation ranges: 200 km on a fighter or helicopter, 60 km on a small-RCS missile, 20 km on a sea-skimming missile flying ever a rough sea, Because it creates multiple beams simultaneously (due to its active-array design), the radar can operate in multiple modes con- currently, ¢.g., long range and 3D area defense (80 km maximum range). It supports waveforms for high-resolution imaging for noncooperative target recognition. The system is designed specifi- cally for littoral conditions, with multiple waveforms and special- ized filters; it adapts automatically to its environment. IFF is integral. Due to the ability to backsean once a target has tenta- tively been detected, the radar automatically initiates a track in ‘one or two scans. Target classification is automa Overall dimensions are about 4m * 4 m (3.8 m high); weight above decks: is 4. The antenna is air-cooled, with water cooling for belowdecks: elements. The radar scans at 60 rpm, Thales advertises Herakles as an ideal compromise between the complexity of a pure active array and the single-beam output of a simpler passive phased array. Solid-state components give a claimed MTBF of 900 hr, with full redundancy and graceful degra- dation (as in other solid-state transmitters, modules can be re- placed without switching off the radar). Thales argues that this radar is particularly well adapted to small ships with limited crews, Users: France (multi-role frigate), Singapore (new Delta-class frigates). In the French version of the Franco-Nalian multi-role frigate, Herakles is to be mounted inside a conical mast currently being developed by DCNI,