Northrop Grumman [NOC] yesterday said it was selected to supply an additional 40 STARLite wide area surveillance radars featuring synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and ground moving target indicator (GMTI) capabilities for the Army’s Extended-Range Multi-Purpose unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).
“STARLite is the program of record for the Army and this award demonstrates the Army’s confidence in STARLite’s surveillance capabilities and our ability to continue to meet the production schedule,” Pat Newby, vice president of Weapons and Sensors for Northrop Grumman’s Land and Self Protection Systems Division, said in a statement. “STARLite completed all first article and government testing requirements, which led to this award. These systems are ready now for immediate deployment.”
Under the terms of the contract option, radar deliveries to the Army’s Product Manager Robotic & Unmanned Sensors Program Management Office will begin in March, 2011 and conclude in March, 2012.
Northrop Grumman’s STARLite is a small, lightweight radar used for supporting tactical operations.
Each STARLite radar features both SAR and GMTI capabilities and comes equipped with a complete software package for interfacing with the Army systems, enabling easy operator control of the SAR maps and ground moving target detection features on standard Army maps.
The ZPY-1 leverages Northrop Grumman’s experience acquired from the company’s proven Tactical Endurance Synthetic Aperture Radar and the Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Radar programs.
In February, Northrop Grumman said it delivered the first two production STARLites for ER/MP UAS (Defense Daily, Feb. 12). The company had been working under a $78.5 million dollar contract with the Army’s Robotics and Unmanned Sensors Product Office at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., to provide a total of 33 STARLite radar systems by April 2011.