Engineers from Denmark-headquartered command-and-control (C2) specialist Systematic have recently completed the successful integration of the Mk11 Sharpeye navigation and naval surveillance radar into Systematic’s SitaWare Headquarters C4ISR software suite, the company announced on 22 October 2025.
The integration, effected in support of the Irish Naval Service’s (INS’s) Samuel Beckett-class offshore patrol vessels, allows absolute positions of vessels to be identified by the radar, with tracks then added into the recognised maritime picture (RMP) in SitaWare Headquarters using an OTH-Gold data gateway.
The Irish Defence Forces use SitaWare Headquarters on a range of levels, including on ships and maritime patrol aircraft as well as within joint operations centres ashore that help to co-ordinate operations across the country’s expansive exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Key INS national security missions include fisheries protection and increasingly narcotics interdiction.
In addition to SitaWare Headquarters, the INS also employs the SitaWare Frontline battle management suite and SitaWare Edge dismounted situational awareness and C2 suite on rigid-hull inflatable boats (RHIBs) and with boarding teams.
The Mk11 SharpEye radar, which is available in X-band and S-band variants, is used by more than 30 navies worldwide. It was designed by UK company Kelvin Hughes, which was sold to German defence technology house Hensoldt in 2017.
The Mk11 SharpEye features the Kelvin Hughes solid-state SharpEye transceiver with a solid-state pulse Doppler coherent radar system. The radar is designed to be used in conditions of poor weather, lighting and visibility, and is used for marine navigation, collision avoidance, target surveillance and situational awareness. The system offers an advanced small target detection capability, as well as a 2D surface surveillance capability.
Featuring an open-architecture design, the SitaWare suite supports the integration of sensors and subsystems to ensure that the intelligence they create can be delivered around the battlespace. Leveraging over 20 different interoperability standards, the SitaWare suite is able to transfer, deliver and synchronise data into a common operational picture, giving commanders enhanced situational awareness during operations.
