OCCAR Horizon MLU milestone reached with KRONOS Grand Naval (KGN) radar installed
Paris/France, 23 January 2026 An important milestone for Horizon Mid-Life-Upgrade (MLU) Programme has been reached with the installation of the Kronos Grand Naval 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)
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 HRZ 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 by between 2028 and 2030.
Photo courtesy OCCAR
