[[File:APAR.jpg|right|thumb|APAR mounted on top of the German Navy Sachsen class frigate Hamburgs superstructure.]]Active Phased Array Radar (APAR''') is a shipborne active electronically scanned array multifunction 3D radar (MFR) developed and manufactured by Thales Nederland. The radar receiver modules are developed and built in the US by the Sanmina Corporation. Characteristics APAR has four fixed (i.e., non-rotating) sensor arrays (faces), fixed on a pyramidal structure. Each face consists of 3424 transmit/receive (TR) modules operating at X band frequencies. The radar provides the following capabilities: air target tracking of over 200 targets out to 150 km surface target tracking of over 150 targets out to 32 km horizon search out to 75 km "limited" volume search out to 150 km (in order to back up the volume search capabilities of the SMART-L) cued search (a mode in which the search is cued using data originating from another sensor) surface naval gunfire support missile guidance using the Interrupted Continuous Wave Illumination (ICWI) technique, thus allowing guidance of 32 semi-active radar homing missiles in flight simultaneously, including 16 in the terminal guidance phase "innovative" Electronic Counter-Countermeasures (ECCM) Note: all ranges listed above are instrumented ranges. Mountings APAR is installed on four Royal Netherlands Navy (RNLN) LCF De Zeven Provinciën class frigates, three German Navy F124 Sachsen class frigates, and three Royal Danish Navy Ivar Huitfeldt class frigates. The Netherlands and Germany (along with Canada) were the original sponsors for the development of APAR, whereas Denmark selected APAR for their frigates as part of a larger decision to select a Thales Nederland anti-air warfare system (designed around the APAR and SMART-L radars, the Raytheon ESSM and SM-2 missile systems, and the Lockheed Martin Mk-41 vertical launch system) over the competing Sea Viper anti-air warfare system (designed around the S1850M and BAE Systems SAMPSON radars, the MBDA Aster 15/30 missile systems, and the MBDA SYLVER vertical launch system). Live missile firings APAR's missile guidance capability supports the Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM) and the SM-2 Block IIIA missile. In November 2003, approximately from the Azores, the missile guidance capabilities were tested with live firings for the first time. The firings were performed by the RNLN's HNLMS De Zeven Provinciën and involved the firing of a single ESSM and a single SM-2 Block IIIA. These firings were the first ever live firings involving a full-size ship-borne Active Electronically Scanned Array guiding missiles using the ICWI technique in