Replacement Secondary Submarine Radar and Support

Maritime Radar Update Programme (MRUP) Delivery Team (DT) within Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S), part of the UK Ministry of Defence ("the Authority") is seeking to engage with suppliers for the purposes of procuring, supporting and gaining a clearer understanding of current market capabilities and potential offerings relevant to the Second Submarine Radar (SSR) in Royal Navy (RN) Subsurface ASTUTE and VANGUARD Class Submarines.

The current SSR is a portable Commercial OFF The Shelf (COTS) radar that is deployed when the submarine has surfaced, carried to the bridge fin by the crew, clamped to the boat structure, plugged into a vessel power socket and operated. The SSR operates as a second radar or as a backup, should the primary radar fail. It is used to detect the whereabouts of other surface objects and coastlines and is of particular importance when the vessel is approaching or leaving harbour, or in busy shipping areas.

The SSR equipment is stored within the submarine when not in use and deployed to the bridge fin when surfaced through a bespoke carriage solution. Currently, this is a bag and pulley system for the carriage and modified COTS mounts for attachment of the radome and display to the vessel mast/structure respectively.

The current and previous SSR solutions were subject to high failure rates.

The MRUP DT are planning to run a competition via the Competitive Flexible Procedure (Procurement Act 2023) for suitable suppliers to bid.

The goal is to leverage industry capabilities to deliver a more innovative solution that addresses availability issues and aligns better with platform environmental requirements, including electromagnetic compatibility and toxicity. The capability is required for a period of 5 years (Refer to additional text).

It is the Authority's intent to invite suppliers to a Market Engagement Event who can demonstrate they are commercially compliant and can meet the technical requirements of being able to support the RN Subsurface SSR. During the Market Engagement Event the MRUP DT will give a presentation which will describe the SSR operating environment and provide an opportunity for suppliers to engage with questions they may have.

This Market Engagement Event will take place via Microsoft Teams on Monday 9th June 2025 at 1000. Invites to the event will be sent to interested parties in due course.

The Authority intends to release a Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ) associated with this opportunity, currently scheduled for 10th June 2025. Please note this is an estimated date and subject to change.

The Authority will be conducting all applicable advertising and potential procurement exercises via the Defence Sourcing Portal (DSP). Interested parties are strongly encouraged to review the information published by DSP. Interested parties will need to gain access to DSP to ensure they acquire the most up to date information.

Additional information:

Supplement to main description:

The capability requirement for a period of 5 years is subject to change, this is anticipated as a timescale of 6-months for replacement from contract award / commencement of contract, followed by 4.5 years of support.