Developed using the General Electric EX-84 gunmount and the Signaal Flycatcher FCS and tracking radar, Goalkeeper also includes a new search radar and a TV camera. The 30mm GAU-8/A Gatling Gun fires at 4,200rpm from a 1,200rnd magazine and can engage targets out to about 2,000m using MPDS or the new higher velocity FMPDS (Frangible Missile Piercing Discarding Sabot) ammunition.

Because Goalkeeper uses separate search and tracking radar's the system can search for new targets while it is engaging an existing target to deal with saturation attacks. The X(I) band search radar scans at 60rpm while the monopulse Cassegrain tracking radar operates in the X and Ka bands to assure very rapid handover from the search to the tracking radar without additional search. The X band tracker acquires the target, then the Ka band tracker takes over for the engagement.

In automatic mode the radar limits itself to targets within a 2-7km range bracket with target speeds of 150m/sec or more. The Dutch version of the search radar detects up to 30 degrees in elevation for maximum detection power against sea skimmers. Programmed range is 8nm but the radar can detect targets out to 16nm. Goalkeeper can track 30 targets, assign 4 for engagement in order of importance. Burst length can be shortened to deal with more. Burst last about 0.2 seconds and two pairs of sea skimmers can be dealt with about 5 seconds apart.

Reaction time against a Mach 2 sea-skimming missile from automatic detection to IFF interrogation, 90 degree tracker slew, tracker elevation, X-band lock-on and computer run-in is claimed to be about 5.5 seconds with the engagement starting at 1,500m and ending with a kill by 300m.

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