Lockheed Martin has completed the production of its first ground-based air defence radar, AN/TPY-4, to provide tracking precision to the US and allied nations.
The completion of AN/TPY-4’s production comes one month after its selection by the US Air Force (USAF).
The radar was selected under the USAF’s three-dimensional expeditionary long-range radar (3DELRR) rapid prototyping programme.
The USAF’s 3DELRR programme involves production options for around 35 long-range radar systems, which are expected to reach initial operational capability (IOC).
Last year, the AN/TPY-4(V)1 radar earned its official designation from the US Government.
The system features the platform electronics subsystem (PES) delivered by Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (KDA).
Lockheed Martin Ground Based Air Surveillance Radars director Rick Herodes said: “Lockheed Martin is committed to investing in advanced defence technology and the TPY-4 radar is a direct result of those investments.
“TPY-4 meets the needs of a rapidly changing battlefields, marked by technological growth and the emergence of increasingly challenging threats.”
Lockheed Martin’s new multi-mission radar is capable of tracking existing and emerging threats, by integrating with the existing air defence systems.
Designed as a fully digital, software-defined sensor architecture, the new transportable or fixed air defence TPY-4 radar can operate in contested environments.
TPY-4’s open hardware, software and interface standard compliance provides ease of integration along with long-term support.
The radar can rapidly adapt to the required operational changes using the software enhancements, without making any hardware or design changes.
It can detect very small or hard-to-detect targets and operate in adverse weather conditions and environments.
