Netherlands producing radar for NATO

BRUSSELS, March 15 (UPI) -- The Netherlands plans to develop new radar as part of a NATO alliance project to build a missile defense system.

The new radar will be upgraded and extended Smart-L radar systems for deployment on anti-missile defense frigates.

The new radar will form a part of the missile defense architecture and will be able to detect and track missile threats at a distance of more than 600 miles, NATO said.

"All systems that are part of the ballistic missile shield are interconnected through networks," said Dutch navy Cmdr. Onno Boshouwers, "so they will be able to pass information and track data.

"Once the ship with the modernized Smart-L radar detects this ballistic missile, all the other systems and participants would be aware of that missile."

NATO is developing the system's command and control arrangements. The system's sensors and interceptors will later be provided by participants on a voluntary basis.

"From intelligence we know that now more than 30 countries have or are acquiring ballistic missiles," a Dutch Defense Ministry official said.

"They do not pose an immediate threat, but in the long run it could become a threat and in order to be prepared for that, we think it is important that NATO develops ballistic missile defense capability and that the Netherlands participates in contributing to that capability."