US Army Invests In more Lockheed Martin GaN Radars
New contracts will outfit Q-53 radars with enhanced capabilities
The US Army has awarded Lockheed Martin three contracts to produce additional Q-53 radars and outfit the GaN-based systems with enhanced capabilities, including extended range and counter unmanned aerial system (CUAS) surveillance.
"We realise the warfighter needs new and improved capabilities. The Q-53 represents a fast path to respond to current and emerging threats," said Rick Herodes, director of the Q-53 program at Lockheed Martin. "The flexibility of the architecture continues to allow the Q-53 to provide capabilities far beyond the original mission and allows for additional upgrades in the future."
The Army awarded Lockheed Martin a contract for a third lot of 15 Full Rate Production systems. Once this contract is delivered the Army will own 189 Q-53 systems. The Lot 3 systems will continue to be produced using GaN transmit-receive modules. This will provide the radar with additional power, reliability and the possibility for enhanced capabilities including extended range, counterfire target acquisition (CTA) and multi-mission, which delivers simultaneous CTA and air surveillance.
The primary mission of the Q-53 is to protect troops in combat by detecting, classifying, tracking and identifying the location of enemy indirect fire in either 90 or 360-degree modes. The Q-53 has protected warfighters around the world since 2010.
Lockheed Martin uses an open GaN foundry model, using relationships with commercial suppliers that use the power of the expansive telecommunications market to provide military-grade GaN modules while taking advantage of commercial cost efficiencies.
