Jura The idiot
General
Apr 20, 2017
Lockheed Advances North Korea-facing Radar
Apr 25, 2017
related:now I read Long-Range Discrimination Radar passes preliminary design review
source:
Lockheed Advances North Korea-facing Radar
Apr 25, 2017
As the Trump administration warns North Korea against developing a nuclear-tipped ballistic missile capable of striking mainland America, the -developed radar that would help thwart such an attack is moving into the detailed design phase.
The first-of-its-kind solid-state, dual-polarization super high-frequency radar was ordered by the Missile Defense Agency in 2015 to direct anti-ballistic missile interceptors against their targets on the edge of space, specifically those from North Korea.
Lockheed says after 18 months of system-level design and development, all of the critical components and manufacturing processes needed for the Long-Range Discrimination Radar (LRDR) have been ripened to Technology Readiness Level-6, meaning they have been modeled or demonstrated end-to-end in a relevant environment.
Passing the preliminary design milestone review keeps LRDR on track for deployment in 2020, by which point Pyongyang is expected to have a fully developed ICBM capability, as well as nuclear warheads small and robust enough to arm it.
The massive two-sided radar complex is being set up at Clear Air Force Station in Alaska, facing west toward North Korea, Russia and China. Because the U.S. does not have enough interceptors to block a significant nuclear strike by Moscow or Beijing, MDA’s primary focus is on the more limited North Korean threat.
LRDR will be hooked into the U.S.’s global ballistic missile defense network, mainly feeding targeting data to the -built element, armed with 44 silo-based interceptors based in Alaska and California.
Chandra Marshall, Lockheed’s LRDR program director, said during a media briefing on April 20 that the two-day preliminary design review wrapped up in March and involved officials from MDA and the Office of the Secretary of Defense. The next milestone is a critical design review in September followed by the final design review two months later.
These reviews ensure that Lockheed and its radar system can successfully transition into full-scale production and fielding without serious technical difficulty.
Marshall says full-rate production is still scheduled for spring 2018.
To support development and testing, Lockheed has constructed a subscale prototype and solid-state radar integration facility in Moorestown, New Jersey. About 90% of the testing requirements can be accomplished in Moorestown and major components will begin moving to Alaska in 2019 for operational deployment.
“The key is this radar’s ability to do long-distance detection and characterization of ballistic missiles,” Marshall says. “This radar will do that better than any radar fielded today. Dual-polarity allows us to discriminate better and provide better track data on what we’re seeing.”
The high-frequency S-Band antenna uses solid-state gallium nitride (GaN) components to achieve higher power levels for greater range and discrimination of potential targets. Being able to more reliably discern between missiles and warheads and other objects such as chaff and decoy countermeasures means that the interceptors are more likely to hit the right object. That could reduce the number of interceptors that need to be fired at each target for a high probability of kill.
Lockheed won the LRDR program in 2015, receiving a $784 million contract for development, fabrication and testing. The project remains within that budget, Lockheed confirms.
The radar incorporates technologies from Lockheed’s ship-based Combat System, Aegis Ashore and Space Fence. Marshall says LRDR can be scaled to suit a variety of roles on land or at sea.
If the Trump administration decides to expand the U.S. missile defense complex, Lockheed says it is ready to build however many LRDR sites are needed. “We can offer this for any ground or maritime-based solution the customer is seeking,” she says.
