IN Brief:
- Saab UK has completed its 100th Giraffe 1X radar system.
- A new Fareham Integration & Verification facility is now fully operational.
- The site strengthens UK radar testing, software integration, and delivery assurance.
Saab UK has completed its 100th Giraffe 1X radar system and opened a new Integration & Verification facility at its Fareham campus.
The facility is part of Saab UK’s Sensor Systems business and provides dedicated capacity for system testing, software integration, and customer acceptance. It is designed to improve delivery speed, quality assurance, and in-house technical capability around radar production and support.
Fareham is Saab’s UK centre of excellence for radar engineering. The site supports production and sustainment work across Giraffe 1X, Giraffe AMB, and TAIPAN, the UK designation for Arthur.
The Giraffe 1X is a compact 3D multi-mission radar used across land and naval applications. Its roles include force protection, weapon locating, ground-based air defence, counter-uncrewed aerial systems detection, and surface surveillance.
Test capacity and delivery assurance
Radar production depends heavily on integration and verification work. Hardware assembly is only one part of delivery. Antenna performance, RF calibration, software loading, environmental resilience, system configuration, and customer-specific interfaces all have to be tested before acceptance.
A dedicated Integration & Verification facility reduces pressure on late-stage delivery and helps bring more acceptance work under Saab’s direct control. That can support repeatability across export and domestic orders, especially where each customer has different networks, vehicles, shelters, command systems, or operating requirements.
Software integration is an expanding part of radar delivery. Modern sensors are expected to process complex target sets, connect into wider air-defence networks, and support frequent software updates. Testing capacity therefore becomes part of production capacity.
UK radar industrial base
The Fareham site supports around 400 skilled roles across radar and underwater robotics. The investment adds weight to the UK’s radar industrial base at a time when demand for mobile air-defence sensors, counter-drone systems, and weapon-locating radars is rising.
Compact radars such as Giraffe 1X are now being asked to operate against small drones, rockets, artillery, and low-flying air threats. That demand creates work across RF engineering, ruggedised electronics, mechanical integration, software development, and through-life support.
The 100th Giraffe 1X milestone gives the new test facility a production context. Sustained demand for mobile sensors will reward manufacturers able to keep configuration, test, and acceptance processes controlled as customer requirements multiply.
