A RADAR designed, developed and tested on the Isle of Wight has been successfully installed on its first Royal Navy frigate.

BAE Systems said the Artisan radar, capable of detecting objects as small as a tennis ball travelling at three times the speed of sound more than 25km away, was the most sophisticated radar ever developed for the Royal Navy.

The Somerton-based company announced today that it had been successfully installed on HMS Iron Duke.

It will be installed on all Type 23 frigates as part of a £100 million programme and is also due to be fitted to Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers and type 26 frigates, due to come into service in 2020.

A spokesman said: "It is five times more efficient than any other radar currently used by the fleet.

"HMS Iron Duke is the first ship in the class to receive the new radar as part of her five-yearly refit which will ensure she remains at the cutting edge of naval warfare when she returns to service next year.

Made from the same lightweight carbon fibre material as Formula One cars, the radar is capable of cutting through interference equivalent to 10,000 mobile phone signals.

Rory Fisher, managing director for BAE Systems Maritime Services, said: "BAE Systems is playing a key role in helping the fleets of the future evolve to meet the ever-changing demands of the battlespace, creating technology solutions that are quicker, lighter, more resilient and easier to implement than ever before."