Lockheed Martin to develop advanced radar training system for USAF
by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Mar 28, 2024
In a significant advancement for military readiness, the U.S. Air Force has awarded Lockheed Martin a $276 million contract for the creation of the Variable Aperture Digital Radar (VADR) system under the Advanced Range Threat System Variant 3 (ARTS-V3) program. This new system is designed to prepare aircrews for encounters with sophisticated adversarial threats, utilizing both X-band and C-band radars.

Chandra Marshall, vice president of Lockheed Martin Radar and Sensor Systems, emphasized the critical role of VADR in enhancing the U.S. military's radar capabilities. Marshall highlighted the commitment to training troops with cutting-edge systems to ensure national security.

The VADR system, leveraging software-defined sensor technology, allows for the simulation of various enemy systems and training scenarios. It incorporates Distributed Digital Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) technology, drawing on Lockheed Martin's extensive radar development expertise.

Collaboration is key to the VADR system's development, with Lockheed Martin partnering with SRC, Inc., a defense-focused research and development organization. This partnership combines decades of radar innovation and production. The project's operations are spread across Syracuse, N.Y., Clearwater, Fl., and Owego, N.Y., with coordination from the government program office based at Hill Air Force Base, Utah.

Lockheed Martin's storied history in delivering sophisticated radar solutions underpins this new initiative. The company's radars, known for their reliability and versatility, serve a wide array of functions from early warning and target acquisition to situational awareness and integrated air and missile defense. With deployments in over 45 countries, Lockheed Martin's radar systems represent a global standard in defense technology.

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