Under the contract, Lockheed Martin will provide the Air Force with an AN/TPS-77 radar, along with associated supplies, equipment and services, to improve safety and surveillance in 68,000 square miles of military training airspace over the 90,000-acre PARC area.
The first PARC radar, also produced at Lockheed Martin's facility in Syracuse, NY, is scheduled to be deployed on a rocky, barren mountaintop located in the Alaska Range east of Fairbanks.
Both radars will operate within radomes - domed shelters that protect radar arrays from harsh environments - and be powered by on-site generators. The Air Force will control the radars remotely from Eielson Air Force Base in Fairbanks.
"With the transportable AN/TPS-77 added to its inventory, the Air Force also gains additional mission flexibility," said Dr. Denny Beres, vice president, airborne and land-based radars at Lockheed Martin in Syracuse.
"With a straightforward software upgrade, the AN/TPS-77 has the inherent capability to provide tactical ballistic missile tracking as well."
The AN/TPS-77 is the latest configuration of the world's most successful 3-D solid-state radar design. This L-band, tactical radar provides continuous high-quality 3-D surveillance on aircraft targets at ranges out to 280 miles and at elevations up to 100,000 feet. The second PARC radar will represent the 25th AN/TPS-77 off the production line.
The AN/TPS-77 shares commonality with the AN/FPS-117 radar with regard to maintenance activity and Line Replaceable Units (LRUs). There are 127 AN/FPS- 117 systems operational in 14 countries. Many have operated for years completely unmanned in remote areas and in a wide range of operational environments.