Britain has signed a statement of intent to potentially adopt Australian CEA radar technology for its frontline forces, with QinetiQ handling integration, testing, and assurance of the capability across the UK defence enterprise, the company stated.
The four-way agreement involves QinetiQ, the Ministry of Defence, the Australian Department of Defence and Canberra-based CEA Technologies. It was signed at the CEA factory in Canberra, with Luke Pollard, the UK Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, and Pat Conroy, the Australian Minister for Defence Industry, both present.
The signing follows commitments made at the Australia-UK Ministerial Consultations in June, where the two governments announced they would explore joint development and production of an active electronically scanned array radar capability.
Mr Pollard said: “Today, we are deepening our industrial cooperation with Australia on cutting-edge radar technologies. By bringing QinetiQ’s expertise together with CEA’s world-class radar technology, we can strengthen the warfighting readiness of both our nations while backing jobs and growth on both sides of the world.”
Steve Wadey, group chief executive of QinetiQ, said: “QinetiQ’s unique expertise positions us as a strategic and trusted partner to the UK Ministry of Defence and its allies. Current conflicts remind us of the importance of air defences, which are increasingly under pressure, and QinetiQ is proud to play a key role in bringing this vital technology to the UK.”
Alan Clements, chief executive of CEA Technologies, said: “Today’s signing is an important milestone for CEA and the Australian and UK defence industries. It reflects the confidence both governments have in CEA’s world-leading radar technology and the important role industry partnerships play in strengthening sovereign capability.”
The parties describe the document as a framework for continued co-operation while future opportunities are explored, which stops short of any order.
CEA Technologies is unusual in the radar world in being a mid-sized Australian company whose products have displaced those of much larger firms. Its CEAFAR phased array family is fitted to the Royal Australian Navy’s Anzac-class frigates, where the radar replaced the original set during the anti-ship missile defence upgrade and produced a marked improvement in performance, and variants have been selected for the Hunter-class frigates and for Australian land-based air defence.
Active electronically scanned array radars steer their beam electronically rather than by rotating a dish, using a face made up of many small transmit and receive modules. That allows a single set to track many targets at once, switch between search and engagement tasks in an instant, and continue working with reduced performance if individual modules fail, which a mechanically scanned radar cannot do.
What the UK might use it for has not been stated. Britain has an acknowledged shortfall in ground-based air defence, with the Army fielding Sky Sabre in small numbers, and the war in Ukraine has pushed the question of layered protection for airfields, ports and infrastructure up the agenda across NATO. The Strategic Defence Review of 2025 committed to strengthening air and missile defence without settling on the sensors that would underpin it.
QinetiQ employs around 7,500 people and holds the Long Term Partnering Agreement covering the Ministry of Defence’s test and evaluation ranges, work that gives it the trials infrastructure any new radar would need to pass through before entering British service.
Interesting, I remember reading about us looking into this years ago.
Yes we continually look into things. I note even now it says ‘ … while future opportunities are explored, which stops short of any order.’ That said and escaping the cynicism for a while, there is a distinct likelihood that some sort of order will come from this eventually, whatever form that takes and when, will rely on further successful cooperation agreements directly with uk companies I presume.
When I saw the title, I thought it was going to be JORN.
TBH France and Italy are in the process of their mid life upgrades for the 4 Horizon class AAW Destroyers and that includes adding Grand Kronos AESA S & X band radar panels to enhance their ABM capability.
So would it make sense for us to go down a similar route but using the Australian CEA products instead of Leonardo ? One thing is for sure the time is well past when we really need to get serious about U.K. land and sea missile defences and make our minds up about committing some real money to actually buying something.
Honestly if the U.K Air Defence was powered by the sheer volume of MOD / HMT / Politicians hot winded blather we would be the best defended country on earth.
Unfortunately that early idea went out the window with the French “Top Secret” hot air balloon mounted blunderbuss project of 1808 although it did have a 100% kill rate.