Northrop Grumman [NOC] yesterday said all subsystems are integrated on the AN/TPS-80 Ground / Air Task Oriented Radar (G/ATOR) system.
This first, complete G/ATOR system is currently undergoing system-level integration and performance testing to include live target testing at the company’s Electronic Systems sector engineering and manufacturing complex adjacent to the Baltimore Washington International Marshall Airport.
G/ATOR’s subsystems include the Radar Equipment Group (REG), the Communications Equipment Group (CEG) and the Power Equipment Group (PEG).
The heart of the AN/TPS-80 G/ATOR system, the REG, consists of the advanced Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) antenna and all associated control and processing electronics mounted on a lightweight tactical trailer.
The REG, CEG and PEG have all undergone subsystem integration and testing. Live target testing, which is currently taking place, will provide an added measure of confidence that G/ATOR performs as required against a wide array of target types and sizes, speeds, ranges and trajectories, the company said in a statement.
“This is a major milestone for the Northrop Grumman and U. S. Marine Corps G/ATOR team as we are growing ever closer to delivering unprecedented mission functionality to our nation’s warfighters,” said John Jadik, vice president, weapons and sensors for Northrop Grumman’s Land and Self Protection Systems Division. “In addition to serving the Marine Corps, G/ATOR’s multi mission capabilities, including simultaneous multi mission performance, are well suited to meet future Air Force and Army ground radar mission requirements as well.
G/ATOR is expected to replace five legacy single mission Marine Corps ground radars, providing Marines with much earlier and more reliable detection, tracking and engagement of a broad array of airborne threats. G/ATOR’s predicted reliability is also several times greater than that of the current Marine ground radars.
Jadik said, “In keeping with current Office of the Secretary of Defense guidelines for achieving significant program efficiencies, the Marine Corps’ investment in G/ATOR offers substantial near-term and long-term cost savings to the Army and Air Force and allows both services to substantially accelerate deployment of enhanced threat detection and tracking capabilities to their operational troops.”
G/ATOR is intended to improve troops’ ability to detect and track a wide variety of aircraft and weapon targets, while also providing air-traffic-control capabilities. The mobile radar uses Northrop Grumman’s Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) technology that is also used on F-35 Joint Strike Fighters and some F-22 jets
The initial operational capability for the first G/ATOR increment is planned for 2016. The initial fielding of increment 1 will be in the air-defense and air-surveillance mode, with the new G/ATOR replacing the AN/TPS-63 air-surveillance, AN/UPS-3 tactical-defense-alert, and AN/MPQ-62 continuous-wave-acquisition radars (Defense Daily, Sept. 28).
Later G/ATOR increments will replace radars used for counter-battery and acquisition fires and for air-traffic control.
The G/ATOR contract was competitively awarded to Northrop Grumman in early 2007 by Marine Corps System Command and the program is managed by the Marine Corps Program Executive Office for Land Systems in Quantico, Va.