Sea Viper uses this information to assess and command target priorities and calculate the optimum launch time for its Aster missiles.

The Type 45 destroyer uses 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).

"[5] 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.

The beam-directing software uses sophisticated algorithms to schedule searches so that the potentially hundreds of active tracks are maintained with maximum accuracy.

Placing any radar emitter at a higher altitude extends the horizon distance, improving performance against low-level or sea-skimming targets; SAMPSON is at approximately double the height above the waterline than the arrays of equivalent ships in foreign navies.

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.