Kelvin Hughes certified as ATM equipment organisation
The certification was awarded following successful use of the company’s SharpEye solid state radar to control helicopter landings on naval vessels.
SharpEye (right) replaces the need for a transponder system known as a Reply Receiver Type B (RRB). Typically, the Helicopter and the ship’s RRB system have to interact to provide a means of tracking. With SharpEye however, the ship’s Operations Room can confidently and accurately manage the air space and talk each helicopter into land on the ship without the need for a secondary radar like RRB.
One of the key characteristics of SharpEye is its high performance in bad weather and low visibility resulting from its ability to remove rain and sea clutter, leaving targets of interest clearly shown on the screen. The ESM signature of SharpEye is also greatly reduced compared to that of a transponder system. In addition, and unlike other ship navigation radars, SharpEye is capable of tracking aerial targets flying over land.
All of these features have proved to be of immense benefit in recent months, during which time a SharpEye system has been used intensively on board RFA Argus , operating off the west coast of Africa as part of the UK’s contribution to fighting the Ebola outbreak.
Kelvin Hughes’ Sales and Marketing Director, Spike Hughes, commented: “Being certified as an ATM equipment organisation is excellent news for us and will undoubtedly help us when promoting our systems to the world’s navies. It is also highly gratifying to receive the certification as a result of the excellent performance of a SharpEye system in helping the RFA Argus
and its crew to carry out such an important humanitarian role.”
