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USAF Developing New 3DELRR Long-Range Radar

Jan 06, 2011 11:15 EST
Related Stories: Americas - USA, BAE, Contracts - Awards, Forces - Marines, Lockheed Martin, New Systems Tech, Other Corporation, Other Equipment - Land, R&D - Contracted, Radars, Raytheon, T&C - CSC, Testing & Evaluation
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AN/TPS-75
AN/TPS-75
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Lockheed, Sensis teams finish tests; USMC interested; Contract now 2012. (Jan 6/11)

The US Air Force is replacing the AN/TPS-75 radar with the Three-Dimensional Expeditionary Long-Range Radar (3DELRR) as the principal USAF long-range, ground-based sensor for detecting, identifying, tracking, and reporting aircraft and missiles through the Ground Theater Air Control System. The AN/TPS-75 radar has been in service since 1968.

The primary mission of the 3DELRR will be to provide long-range surveillance, control of aircraft, and theater ballistic missile detection. It will correct AN/TPS-75 shortfalls by detecting and reporting highly maneuverable, small radar cross-section targets. Its improved resolution may even allow it to classify and determine the type of non-cooperative aircraft that cannot or do not identify themselves – a trait that allows faster engagement of hostile planes, and reduces the odds of friendly fire incidents…

Contracts and Key Events

3DELRR
Sensis prototype
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Once the Technical Development Phase is complete, the USAF intended to award the System Design & Development (SDD) to the winning team around 2011, but that will now be early 2012. The US Marines have also begun evaluating the 3DELRR as a replacement for its AN/TPS-59 radars, making it a long range, BMD-friendly counterpart to their forthcoming G/ATOR battlefield radars. Interestingly, Northrop Grumman seems to believe that their G/ATOR solution could be upgraded to handle 3DELRR as well.

Unless otherwise noted, contracts for the 3DELRR program are awarded by the Electronic Systems Center at Hanscom Air Force Base, MA.

Jan 6/11: Sensis Corp. announces that its 3DELRR full-scale prototype have successfully completed testing, achieving all TD phase milestones after a development period of 19 months.

Sensis founder and CEO Jud Gostin was the principal system architect for the Marines’ AN/TPS-59. Raytheon IDS is responsible for the development and production of the team’s Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA). Moog Inc.’s Space and Defense Group, a leader in precision motion control solutions, is producing, testing and integrating the team’s 3DELRR’s motion control subsystems.

Dec 16-17/10: Lockheed Martin completes the 2nd and final demonstration under its May 2009 3DELRR contract, following an initial demonstration of critical technology elements in March 2010, and a Preliminary Design Review in October 2010.

During the demonstration, Lockheed Martin unveils a functioning system prototype to USAF and Marine Corps officials, to prove the radar’s maturity. The firm says that their radar “addresses 100 percent of 3DELRR requirements, including critical extended air surveillance reach for early warning from threats, such as aircraft and ballistic missiles.” Lockheed Martin.

Dec 21/09: Sensis announces that it has completed the System Requirements Review (SRR) for the US Air Force’s 3DELRR program. During SRR, the U.S. Air Force, along with industry organizations, conducted a comprehensive review of the Sensis 3DELRR systems engineering, integration and test processes against overall systems requirements to ensure that the program meets U.S. Air Force requirements.

3DELRR
3DELRR: LMCO concept
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May 12/09: The US Air Force awards [PDF] a firm-fixed-price $24.9 contract to Lockheed Martin in Liverpool, NY to provide radar engineering and design support to the government during the technology development phase of 3DELRR program. The Lockheed Martin team includes BAE Systems, Computer Sciences Corp., and ManTech. At this time, $9.9 million has been obligated (FA8722-09-C-0003). See also Lockheed Martin release.

May 12/09: The US Air Force awards [PDF] a $21.9 million firm-fixed-price contract to Sensis Corp. in East Syracuse NY to provide radar engineering and design support to the government during the technology development phase of 3DELRR program. The Sensis team includes Raytheon and Moog. At this time, $9.9 million has been obligated (FA8722-09-C-0001). See also: Sensis news release.

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