Northrop Grumman has delivered the AN/TPS-80 Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar (G/ATOR) system to Surface Combat Systems Center (SCSC) Wallops Island in Eastern Virginia, US.
The system is scheduled to undergo first and second phases of its developmental test (DT) by the government, while the final DT phase and the operational assessment will be conducted in Yuma, Arizona, US.
The G/ATOR first ground-based, multirole radar is currently being developed by Northrop for the US Marine Corps (USMC).
Northrop Grumman vice president for tactical sensor solutions Steve McCoy said: "Throughout these tests, G/ATOR has demonstrated an unprecedented ability to provide enhanced information and surveillance data to the warfighter."
The G/ATOR system has already undergone a part of the system performance qualification testing, as well as rigorous performance verification tests for the system and subsystem levels at the company’s facility in Baltimore, Maryland, US.
"With G/ATOR’s modular, scalable architecture, we can get that capability into the field sooner and at lower cost to the Department of Defense," McCoy added.
The live target testing validated G/ATOR system performance against a wide range of target types sizes, speeds, ranges and trajectories.
Capable of detecting and tracking a wide variety of threats, such as manned aircraft, cruise missiles and unmanned autonomous systems, the G/ATOR system can adapt to dynamic battlefield conditions at significantly lower operations and maintenance costs.
The system features an open, scalable architecture and multi-network connectivity to ensure compatibility with the navy, other US Department of Defense, as well as digital interoperability to enable integration of new capabilities through software-only updates.
Additional features of the system include active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar technology to provide robust air traffic control capabilities to enhance the safety of Marine Corps air operations.
Image: Northrop-built AN/TPS-80 Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar being displayed. Photo: courtesy of Northrop Grumman.
