The Australian Defence Forces (ADF) has taken delivery of the third and final Giraffe agile multi-beam (AMB) radar under contract from Saab, the country’s Defence Materiel Minister Jason Clare has announced.
The delivery follows a five-year $86.2m contract awarded to Saab for the supply of three radars, along with field sustainment support services as part of the final stage of ADF’s LAND 19 phase 7A acquisition project in 2010.
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Clare said the radar would be used as an Australia-based training support system to prepare soldiers prior to their actual deployment in Afghanistan.
"The addition of a third Giraffe radar to train our soldiers before they deploy means they will be trained to use the full range of the radar’s capabilities from the time they hit the ground," Clare added.
Two previously delivered Giraffe radars are currently used by the ADF to safeguard International Security Assistance Forces (ISAF) troops against enemy counter rocket artillery and mortar (C-RAM) threats at the multinational base Tarin Kot in Uruzgan Province, Afghanistan.
"This early warning system has proven to be an important force protection capability for our troops, giving them vital seconds of advanced warning so they can take shelter," Clare added:
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By GlobalDataAustralia has been operating leased Swedish Giraffe 740 radars at Tarin Kot from 28 December 2010.
The Giraffe AMB is a two or three-dimensional G/H-band multi-role surveillance system, designed to enhance the protection of the Australian and other ISAF troops by providing early warnings for incoming C-RAM threats.
Integrated on a single ground all-terrain vehicle, the radar facilitates rapid deployment and high-mobility and is also capable of conducting operations even in intense clutter and jamming environments.
Image: Australian soldiers being briefed on the new Giraffe radar’s C-RAM capability at the Multi National Base Tarin Kot in Afghanistan. Photo: SGT W Guthrie/© Commonwealth of Australia 2013.
