Leonardo announced on January 14 that it has signed a contract worth €260m to develop and deliver the Hensoldt-led European Common Radar System (ECRS) Mk 1 radar for German and Spanish EF-2000s.

Already leading the delivery of the Eurofighter's ECRS Mk 0 and Mk 2 radars (read more about the Mk 2 in March issue of AirForces Monthly on sale February 17), Leonardo will now provide research and development work, key antenna, processor and antenna power supply and control components for the Mk 1 E-Scan radar.

Expecting to be produced in 2025, the German and Spanish ECRS Mk 1 radar will provide a digital multi-channel receiver and new wideband transmit receive modules. Hensoldt has contracted Leonardo to perform development work on wideband capabilities that will exploit these new receivers and transmit receive modules to boost the ECRS Mk 1’s detection range and accuracy.

Delivery of these modules for the ECRS Mk 1 will be from Leonardo's sites in Campi Bisenzio, Edinburgh, Nerviano, and Palermo. Airbus Defence & Space will be responsible of integrating the Mk 1 radar onto the Eurofighter.

Leonardo is already the design authority for the ECRS Mk 0 E-Scan radar ordered by Kuwait and Qatar, the design of which underpins the ECRS Mk 1, and the company is also the design authority for the UK-led ECRS Mk 2 radar.

Leonardo is leading the Mk 2 radar in partnership with BAE Systems which will have a multifunction array. Funding of the Mk 2 has been provided by the UK and has been received support from Italy via the joint ECRS Mk 2 industrial team.