SAMPSON The SAMPSON is a multi - function AESA radar produced by BAE Systems Maritime Services . It is the fire control radar component of the Sea Viper naval air defence system , previously designated PAAMS ( S ) to distinguish it from the PAAMS system on the Franco - Italian Horizon Class . The SAMPSON multi function radar can detect all types of targets out to a distance of 400 km , and is capable of tracking hundreds of targets at any one time . Sea Viper uses this information to assess and command target priorities , and calculate the optimum launch time for its Aster missiles . History . SAMPSON is derived from the Multi - function Electronically Scanned Adaptive Radar ( MESAR ) programme . MESAR 1 development commenced in 1982 as a partnership between Plessey , Roke Manor Research and the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency . Plessey was acquired by Siemens in 1989 to become Siemens - Plessey , itself acquired by British Aerospace in 1998 . British Aerospace became BAE Systems in November 1999 . MESAR 1 trials occurred between 1989 and 1994 . MESAR 2 development began in August 1995 , of which SAMPSON is a derivative . The Royal Navy intended to deploy the SAMPSON MFR on its version of the Horizon CNGF - a collaboration with France and Italy to produce anti - air warfare frigates . Following delays and complications the UK withdrew and started its own Type 45 programme . The Type 45 destroyer s use the SAMPSON radar with the PAAMS missile system , which was also developed for the Horizon frigates ( French and Italian ships are to be fitted with the EMPAR MFR ) . The SAMPSON Radar is made in Cowes , Isle of Wight . Operation . Conventional radars , consisting of a rotating transmitter and sensor , have limited power , are vulnerable to enemy jamming and perform only one function - with separate units therefore required for surveillance , tracking and targeting . As an active array , SAMPSON uses software to shape and direct its beam allowing several functions to be carried out at once and , through adaptive waveform control , is virtually immune to enemy jamming . Active arrays have both longer range and higher accuracy than conventional radars . The beam - directing software uses sophisticated algorithms to schedule looks so that the potentially hundreds of active tracks are maintained with maximum accuracy . The SAMPSON uses two planar arrays to provide coverage over only part of the sky ; complete coverage is provided by rotating the arrays , essentially similar to the way conventional radar systems operate . This is in contrast to the US AN / SPY - 1 system ( as used on the Ticonderoga class cruiser and Arleigh Burke class destroyer ) or the Dutch / German / Canadian APAR system ( as used on the Royal Dutch Navy ' s De Zeven Provinciën class frigate s , the German Navy ' s Sachsen class frigate s , and the Royal Danish Navy ' s Ivar Huitfeldt class frigate s ) , which use multiple arrays fixed in place to provide continuous coverage of the entire sky . Whilst this may seem to be a disadvantage , the SAMPSON radar rotates at 30 revolutions per minute , meaning no part of the sky lacks coverage for more than one second on average - the precise time varies as the beams can also be swept back and forth electronically . In addition , the use of a smaller number of arrays allows the system to be much lighter , allowing placement of the arrays at the top of a prominent mast rather than on the side of the superstructure as in the US ships . Placing any radar emitter at higher altitude extends the horizon distance , improving performance against low level targets ; SAMPSON is at approximately double the height above the waterline than the arrays of its US equivalents . Although precise details of the SAMPSON ' s performance in this regard are unlikely to enter the public domain , such factors may mitigate the disadvantages of fewer arrays . BAE Systems have also claimed that Sampson eliminates the need for several separate systems . They suggest that on the Type 45 destroyer , the Alenia Marconi Systems / Signaal [ now Thales Nederland ] S 1850M long - range 3D radar that is designed to work in partnership with Sampson " really is superfluous and is not needed to perform the mission of the ship " . BAE Systems believes that the reason the large volume search radar has been incorporated into PAAMS is " more of a historic nature , associated with [ the ] work sharing issues " that were a huge problem during the trilateral Project Horizon . Some tasks are difficult to combine , for example ( long range ) volume search takes a lot of radar resources , leaving little room for other tasks such as targeting . Combining volume search with other tasks also results either in slow search rates or in low overall quality per task . Driving parameters in radar performance is time - on - target or observation time per beam . This is perhaps a the [ sic ] key reason why the Royal Navy selected the S1850M Long Range Radar to complement Sampson on the Type 45 destroyers . It is also a reason why NATO in its NATO Anti - Air Warfare System study ( NAAWS ) defined the preferred AAW system as consisting of a complementary Volume Search Radar and MFR . This - as NATO points out - gives the added advantage that the two systems can use two different radar frequencies ; one being a good choice for long range search , the other a good choice for an MFR ( which is especially nice as physics makes both tasks difficult to combine ) . The performance of both the SAMPSON radar and the PAAMS ' Aster missiles will give the Royal Navy an anti - air warfare capability to replace its long serving Type 42 destroyers . The first Type 45 , HMS " Daring " was launched on February 1 , 2006 . The ship was fitted with SAMPSON and S1850M radars in 2007 . She underwent trials before being commissioned 20 April 2012 .