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According to information released by the U.S. Department of Defense on June 10, 2020, American Company Lockheed Martin Corp., Grand Prairie, Texas, was awarded a $1,042,250,000 modification (P00001) to contract W31P4Q-20-C-0023 from U.S. Army for incidental services, hardware, facilities, equipment, and all technical, planning, management, manufacturing, and testing efforts to produce Phased Array Tracking Radar to Intercept on Target Advanced Capability-3 missiles.
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Lockheed Martin 360⁰ capable Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) Radar for Engagement and Surveillance (ARES). (Picture source Lockheed Martin)
Work will be performed in Huntsville, Alabama; Camden, Arkansas; Chelmsford, Massachusetts; Grand Prairie, Texas; and Lufkin, Texas, with an estimated completion date of Oct. 31, 2024. Fiscal 2020 missile procurement, Army; and Foreign Military Sales (Bahrain, Germany, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Republic of Korea, United Arab Emirates) funds in the amount of $1,042,250,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity.
The AN/MPQ-53 phased-array radar carries out search, target detection, track and identification, missile tracking and guidance, and electronic counter-countermeasure (ECCM) functions. The radar is mounted on a trailer and is automatically controlled by the digital weapons control computer in the engagement control station via a cable link. The radar system has a range of up to 100km, the capacity to track up to 100 targets and can provide missile guidance data for up to nine missiles.
Raytheon is upgrading the US Army Patriot radars. The upgrade kits provide greater power for the radar and the addition of wideband capability for improved target discrimination.
Target engagement can be carried out in manual, semi-automatic or automatic modes. When the decision has been made to engage the target, the engagement control station selects the launch station or stations, and pre-launch data is transmitted to the selected missile. After launch, the Patriot missile is acquired by the radar.
The command uplink and the TVM downlink allow the missile’s flight to be monitored and provide missile guidance commands from the weapon control computer. As the missile approaches the target, the TVM guidance system is activated and the missile is steered towards the target. A proximity fuse detonates the high-explosive warhead.
In August 2017, Lockheed Martin has unveiled its new Patriot missile radar. The 360⁰ capable Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) Radar for Engagement and Surveillance (ARES) was unveiled to the public at the 2017 Space & Missile Defense Symposium in Huntsville, Alabama. The AESA technology has the first gallium nirtride (GaN) transmitter used in a ground-based radar as well as advanced signal processing techniques and 360⁰ sensor/fire control algorithm for threat detection.
