Click here - to select or create a menu

Naval News

DSEI Japan 2023
  • News
  • Event News
    • SNA 2023
    • Euronaval 2022
    • Indo Pacific 2022
    • Sea Air Space 2022
    • DIMDEX 2022
  • Interviews
  • Videos
  • Advertising
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
Home» News»Replacement of French Horizon Destroyer’s Radar Radome Following Lightning Strike
OCCAR Successfully Managed Quick Replacement 5m Diameter PAAMS Damaged Radome
A collage of the repair process photos of OCCAR

Replacement of French Horizon Destroyer’s Radar Radome Following Lightning Strike

According to an OCCAR press statement issued on January 15, OCCAR managed to replace FS Forbin's PAAMS radar radome damaged by a lightning strike in December 2021.

Naval News Staff 27 Jan 2022

OCCAR press release

In the first days of December 2021, a thunderbolt struck at sea the EMPAR radome, the weatherproof enclosure protecting the rotating radar antenna of the PAAMS system which ensures air defense for FS FORBIN Horizon class destroyers.

The crew immediately carried out an inspection, inside the 5 meters diameter radome located
35 meters above sea and outside through a drone camera. Through SSF and OCCAR, the Horizon crew requested the industrial design authority’s position about radome reparability even if PAAMS was still operative. This part of the activity was managed through the FR/IT/UK In-Service Support contract placed by OCCAR in 2018 in tri-national cooperation on behalf of Marine Nationale, Marina Militare, and the Royal Navy.

After different experts’ appraisals (AIA Cuers, LEONARDO & IPS/PRS), OCCAR & SSF decided to try to replace the radome before mid-January 2022 and TF473 departure.

To manage the radome replacement in such a tiny period, OCCAR used its best practice management methods to retrieve a Radome and contracted the knowledgeable Industry that could carry out such radome swap before mid-January.

Thanks to SSF & MARICOMLOG cooperation agreement, OCCAR organized the special convoy transfer of an Italian forces spare radome stored in-box from La Spezia naval base to Toulon naval base.

OCCAR photo

In parallel, the same OCCAR/FSAF-PAAMS COTS & Services contract permitted OCCAR to engage international skilled experts for reassembling and painting the new radome.

Painting the radome (OCCAR photo)

Close interaction was established with the naval base even during staff left to access the lifting and other means for mounting the new radome on top of the highest mast of the frigate.

Finally, despite COVID constraints and the Christmas break, the activity was fully completed on Saturday 15th January 2022 and the PAAMS system was declared fully operational less than 1 month after the lightning strike without impact on the participation of the frigate to the Task Force 473 deployment alongside with the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier.

“I congratulate MARICOMLOG for lending the available new radome they had in stock, as well as OCCAR’s professionalism for the management of this radome replacement that has been achieved very efficiently in a short period of time, despite COVID-19 constraints and Christmas break. This has been made possible thanks to OCCAR/FSAF-PAAMS flexibility & reactiveness in this case, together with our high cooperation level & mutual trust with MARICOMLOG, involving a state-of-art European Company (PRS) to perform the replacement”.


SSF Director, Guillaume DE GARIDEL

OCCAR PAAMS 2022-01-27
Tags OCCAR PAAMS
Facebook Twitter Stumble linkedin Pinterest More

Authors

Posted by : Naval News Staff

Related Articles

OCCAR signs Contribution Agreements for EPC and EU-HYDEF projects

OCCAR signs Contribution Agreements for EPC and EU-HYDEF projects

Naval News Staff 16 Dec 2022
OCCAR signed contribution agreement with EU Commission for two European Defence Funds projects, EPC and EU-HYDEF.
U212 NFS’ Lithium battery system completes System Design Review

U212 NFS’ Lithium battery system completes System Design Review

Naval News Staff 18 Mar 2022
The U212 NFS new Battery System (Lithium based) successfully completed its System Design Review (SDR)...
OCCAR progressing towards Charles de Gaulle carrier’s SAAM-FR update

OCCAR progressing towards Charles de Gaulle carrier’s SAAM-FR update

Naval News Staff 02 Dec 2021
FSAF-PAAMS program direction managed with its stakeholders the hardware validation of the redesigned radar cabinet of SAAM-FR system that ensure air defense to the French Navy's Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier, the Organisation for Joint Armament Co-operation (OCCAR) said on November 30.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Legal / Privacy Policy
About Us
Contact Us

Copyright © 2022 Naval News
All Rights Reserved