The Flycatcher (KL/MSS-6720) radarsystem is a dual I/J/K-Band short range

air defense Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based ...

fire control system. It has an all-weather capability and track-while-scan capability and can simultaneously control three anti-aircraft guns or SAM

rocket launchers A rocket launcher is a weapon that launches an unguided, rocket-propelled projectile. History The earliest rocket launchers documented in imperial China consisted of arrows modified by the attachment of a rocket motor to the shaft a few in ...

. The radar system used in the Flycatcher is identical to the system used in the PRTL/Cheetah, the

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

version of the

self-propelled anti-aircraft gun An anti-aircraft vehicle, also known as a self-propelled anti-aircraft gun (SPAAG) or self-propelled air defense system (SPAD), is a mobile vehicle with a dedicated anti-aircraft capability. Specific weapon systems used include machine guns, ...

Gepard. The

Goalkeeper CIWS The Goalkeeper CIWS is a Dutch close-in weapon system (''SEE-wiz'') introduced in 1979. It is an autonomous and completely automatic weapon system for short-range defence of ships against highly manoeuvrable missiles, aircraft and fast-manoeuve ...

uses a similar radar system. The Flycatcher was developed by Hollandse Signaal Apparaten B.V. or in short Signaal or HSA (now

Thales Nederland Thales Nederland B.V. (formerly Hollandse Signaalapparaten B.V. or in short Signaal) is a subsidiary of the French multinational company Thales Group based in the Netherlands. The firm was founded as ''NV Hazemeyer's Fabriek van Signaalapparate ...

) as

successor Successor may refer to: * An entity that comes after another (see Succession (disambiguation)) Film and TV * ''The Successor'' (film), a 1996 film including Laura Girling * ''The Successor'' (TV program), a 2007 Israeli television program Musi ...

for their successful L4/5 (KL/MSS-3012) fire control system.

Description

The Flycatcher system is contained within a towed trailer. Mounted on the roof of it are a search radar and a tracking radar with coaxial passive daylight TV tracking system. The Flycatcher system is built into a standard military Craig container, with a semi-detachable trailer bogey. The antennas are retractable to facilitate

air transport Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' includes fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air craft such as hot ai ...

the Flycatcher, either as a slung load or as fixed wing cargo. The operator's compartment and the electronics are protected by the controlled environment provided by the Craig shelter. The container houses a crew of two, and a power generator is attached to the front of the container. Guns or launchers are connected to the Flycatcher with a regular infantry field wire. Maximum distance from the Flycatcher to the guns or launchers is ±1000 metres. An unobstructed line-of-sight is required between the Flycatcher and each guns or launcher in order to align the gun or launcher with the Flycatcher.

Ballistic Ballistics may refer to: Science * Ballistics, the science that deals with the motion, behavior, and effects of projectiles ** Forensic ballistics, the science of analyzing firearm usage in crimes ** Internal ballistics, the study of the proc ...

factors such as

temperature Temperature is a physical quantity that expresses quantitatively the perceptions of hotness and coldness. Temperature is measured with a thermometer. Thermometers are calibrated in various temperature scales that historically have relied o ...

humidity Humidity is the concentration of water vapor present in the air. Water vapor, the gaseous state of water, is generally invisible to the human eye. Humidity indicates the likelihood for precipitation, dew, or fog to be present. Humidity dep ...

, wind direction and

velocity Velocity is the directional speed of an object in motion as an indication of its rate of change in position as observed from a particular frame of reference and as measured by a particular standard of time (e.g. northbound). Velocity i ...

as well as gun data such as

muzzle velocity Muzzle velocity is the speed of a projectile ( bullet, pellet, slug, ball/ shots or shell) with respect to the muzzle at the moment it leaves the end of a gun's barrel (i.e. the muzzle). Firearm muzzle velocities range from approximately ...

are manually or via

sensor A sensor is a device that produces an output signal for the purpose of sensing a physical phenomenon. In the broadest definition, a sensor is a device, module, machine, or subsystem that detects events or changes in its environment and sends ...

interface entered into the fire-control system of the Flycatcher. Using the tracking radar system to track a

weather balloon A weather balloon, also known as sounding balloon, is a balloon (specifically a type of high-altitude balloon) that carries instruments aloft to send back information on atmospheric pressure, temperature, humidity and wind speed by means of ...

, the Flycatcher can obtain on-the-spot wind speed and direction.

Operational history

Netherlands

The KL/MSS-6720 Flycatcher radar system is in use by the

Royal Netherlands Air Force , colours = , colours_label = , march = ''Parade March of the Royal Netherlands Air Force'' , mascot = , anniversaries = , equipment ...

since 1979. The 25

Royal Netherlands Air Force , colours = , colours_label = , march = ''Parade March of the Royal Netherlands Air Force'' , mascot = , anniversaries = , equipment ...

Flycatchers are used in a very short range air defence ( VSHORAD) configuration in combination with modified Bofors 40L70 guns. They were used for static air base defense. Thirty Flycatcher systems were supplied to the

Royal Netherlands Army The Royal Netherlands Army ( nl, Koninklijke Landmacht) is the land branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. Though the Royal Netherlands Army was raised on 9 January 1814, its origins date back to 1572, when the was raised – making the Dutc ...

under a contract placed in early 1987. Production, which commenced immediately, result ed in the first units being delivered in April 1989. Deliveries were completed within 36 months. The

Flycatchers are used in combination with modified Bofors 40L70 guns.

India

In August 1985

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

ordered the Signaal Flycatcher, although only a limited number was built in the Netherlands. Extensive production of Flycatcher for the

Indian Armed Forces The Indian Armed Forces are the military forces of the Republic of India. It consists of three professional uniformed services: the Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force.—— Additionally, the Indian Armed Forces are supported by th ...

is being undertaken by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) . The Indian Flycatchers were to be deployed with

Bofors 40 mm L/60 gun The Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60 (often referred to simply as the "Bofors 40 mm gun", the "Bofors gun" and the like, see name) is an anti-aircraft autocannon, designed in the 1930s by the Swedish arms manufacturer AB Bofors. The g ...

and

Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/70 The Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/70, (Bofors 40 mm L/70, Bofors 40 mm/70, Bofors 40/70 and the like), is a multi-purpose autocannon developed by the Swedish arms manufacturer AB Bofors (today BAE Systems Bofors) during the secon ...

AA guns, but might also be used to guide the Trishul

Surface-to-air missile A surface-to-air missile (SAM), also known as a ground-to-air missile (GTAM) or surface-to-air guided weapon (SAGW), is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft or other missiles. It is one type of anti-aircraft syst ...

United States

The

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

acquired one copy of the Flycatcher fire control system, which was delivered to the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Si ...

in mid-1984. Trials have been conducted with the system in the Nevada desert. There have been no further developments.

Thailand

Twelve Flycatcher systems were ordered by

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

in 1981. Some are deployed on a basis of one radar supporting a battery of six gun mountings. In 2005 the Netherlands Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced the delivery of eight Flycatcher search and tracking radar fire-control systems for low-level air defense with 16 Bofors Defense 40 mm L/70 guns to Thailand through

Thales Thales of Miletus ( ; grc-gre, Θαλῆς; ) was a Greek mathematician, astronomer, statesman, and pre-Socratic philosopher from Miletus in Ionia, Asia Minor. He was one of the Seven Sages of Greece. Many, most notably Aristotle, regarded ...

. In a second deal, the MoD has sold 13

Flycatcher radar systems, 34 Bofors 40 mm L/70 guns and a training simulator to

. The

Hengelo, Netherlands Hengelo (; Tweants: ) is a city in the eastern part of the Netherlands, in the province of Overijssel. The city lies along the motorways A1/E30 and A35 and it has a station for the international Amsterdam – Hannover – Berlin service. P ...

-based company will sell-on eight of these Flycatchers and 16 guns to Thailand.

Operators

* – 248 Under License; 12 Procured From OEM (Mass - produced under license by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL)). * – 8; bought second hand from Dutch armed forces in 2003 * (

) - 30 * (

Royal Netherlands Air Force , colours = , colours_label = , march = ''Parade March of the Royal Netherlands Air Force'' , mascot = , anniversaries = , equipment ...

) - 25 * - 28; 12 in 1981 plus 16 former Dutch Flycatchers bought second hand in 2005 * - 24 * - 18Jane's Land-Based Air Defence 1992-93, P44 * (

) - 1

References

{{Thales Group Military radars of the Netherlands Ground radars Gun laying radars Military equipment introduced in the 1970s