An important milestone for Horizon Mid-Life-Upgrade (MLU) Programme has been reached with the installation of the Kronos Grand Naval (KGN) radar at the Shore Integration Facility (SIF) in Saint-Mandrier (Direction Générale de l’Armement – DGA – Site d’Expérimentation des Systèmes de Défense Aérienne – SESDA), France.
OCCAR press release
The first Kronos Grand Naval (KGN, provided by Leonardo) was shipped and installed on the DGA Shore Integration Facility (SIF) in Saint-Mandrier, France, on the 17th December 2025.
This is a major highlight of the Horizon-MLU co-operative Programme, and a critical prerequisite to begin the qualification and acceptance of the PAAMS at SIF over the coming year. The SIF Steering Committee (involving OCCAR (Organisation for Joint Armament Co-operation), co-contractors NAVIRIS and EUROSAM GIE, and national representatives) visited the premises on 21 January 2026 and witnessed the progress made on the infrastructure that will support the Horizon MLU Programme.
The Shore Integration Facility (SIF) at the DGA – Direction générale de l’armement site in Saint-Mandrier (Direction Générale de l’Armement – Site d’Expérimentation des Systèmes de Défense Aérienne – SESDA) is set to house the core Horizon-MLU combat systems and equipment, including PAAMS, Kronos Grand Naval, Long-Range Radar SMART-L MM (provided by Thales Nederland) as well as Italian then French Combat Management Systems (CMS). This configuration will enable operational testing to be carried out on land as part of the Integration, Verification, Validation and Qualification (IVVQ) process, before the complete systems are integrated on board Italian and French warships.
The main objectives of the MLU are obsolescence resolution of systems/equipment, design, development and integration on board of the new up to date systems. The main core of the Common activities is focused on the development, production and integration onboard of the Anti-Air Warfare (AAW) and Electronic Warfare Systems (EWS) domains’ systems providing enhanced, new capabilities and performances against the most modern threats. The upgraded anti-air warfare frigates will be delivered between 2028 and 2030.
-End-
Naval News comments:
Naviris, the 50/50 owned joint venture by Fincantieri and Naval Group, has signed in 2020 a contract with OCCAR (Organisation for Joint Armament Co-operation) for a feasibility study on the mid-life upgrade (MLU) of the four Horizon type Air Defense Destroyers (designated frigates in the French and Italian navies). The critical design review of the program was achieved in April 2025.
Naval News understands that both countries have agreed on the following regarding the upgrade of the radar systems: The EMPAR (European Multifunction Phased Array Radar) rotating C band multifunction passive electronically scanned array radar currently fitted with be replaced with the Kronos Grand Naval by Leonardo (while initially France was pitching the rotating SeaFire by Thales). The legacy SMART L long range radar will make place for the newer and much improved SMART L MM by Thales (while initially Italy was pitching the Kronos Power Shield by Leonardo).
The MLU program includes the adoption of the new ASTER B1NT surface to air missile by MBDA which is set to bring Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) capability. Contacted by Naval News during Paris Air Show, Eurosam declined to comment. ASTER B1NT will intercept short-range or ballistic missiles having a range of up to 1500 km. While this missile will initially be deployed to the land-based SAMP/T systems (of the French and Italian Army), the missile is set to eventually be deployed aboard air defense destroyers of the UK (Type 45), France and Italy (Horizon-class). Studies for the integration of Aster 30 B1NT missiles aboard the Forbin-class (to provide them with Ballistic Missile Defence BMD capability) are provisioned in the 2019-2025 French military planning law.
