NavyRecognition reports, “Airbus Defense and Space, Inc., under contract with its affiliate Airbus DS Electronics and Border Security GmbH, will provide the TRS-3D Baseline D multi-mode radar (MMR) for the U.S. Coast Guard’s ninth National Security Cutter (NSC).”
The Bertholf Class have been equipped with the rotating Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) TRS-3D multi-mode (air search, surface search, helicopter control, and firecontrol) radars from the first. My understanding is that this is an improved version of the same radar that equips earlier National Security Cutters and the Freedom class LCS.
Airbus (formerly EADS) has an excellent multi-paged description of the system here.
It is not clear to me how this compares with the TRS-4D system, also from Airbus. The TRS-4D will equip Freedom Class LCS beginning with LCS-17, and I expected it to be used on the Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC). (Late note: in fact the OPCs will have the SAAB Sea Giraffe multi-mode radar– Chuck) The TRS-4D appears to be very similar in many respects, but it looks at higher elevations and is lighter. Is it a replacement for the TRS-3D or is it a “junior” version of the same technology?
Chuck Hill's CG Blog 
TRS-3D is on the flight 0 LCS. -4D is sold by Airbus as an an upgrade/modernization/replacement based on whats more likely to make the sale. -4D is C-band AESA vesus -3D’s more basic phased array. Baseline D upgrades -3D to Gallium Nitride, which in short means more efficiency, better performance.
Thanks, now does that mean we are getting something less than the best?
Well “the best” would be something along the lines of SPY-6….
I think the upgraded TRS-3D is a cromulent choice, going all the way to -4D would cost more and have a greater impact on the NSC design. Right this moment, I think its more important to get these hulls in the water without raising red flags with any watchdogs. Once theyre all in service, an upgrade program for the class to advance all the hulls to -4D would be worth a look.
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Hi sir, is the baseline D variant of the -3D an AESA set? Or is it the -4D that’s AESA?
That is the TRS-4D. the 3D only scans electronically in elevation.
There is a discussion of the TRS-3D and its characteristics here. http://defenseph.net/drp/index.php?topic=3290.msg10604#msg10604
Not sure these specs make it much of a firecontrol radar. The NSCs have the SPQ-9B which is a dedicated fire control radar, so does not have to rely on the TRS-3D for that purpose like the Freedom class LCSs. The OPCs will use a different multifunction radar.
The manufacturer has a newer radar, and it is being used on the Freedom class LCS. Perhaps we will see this on the OPCs. Currently they expected to get the SAAB Sea Giraffe. https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2019/08/us-navy-lcs-vessels-now-operate-hensoldt-trs-4d-naval-radar/
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