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23 Sep 15. Germany completes GM400 radar programme. The German Air Force (Luftwaffe) has received its final GM400 long-range air surveillance radar from ThalesRaytheonSystems, the German Federal Office for Defence Technology and Procurement (BAAINBw) announced on 22 September.
The radar, based at Freising, is the final of six GM400 radars ordered for EUR100 million (USD112 million) in December 2010 by Germany for the country’s Aktives Radarrundsuchgerät für den Einsatzführungsdienst (ARED – Active Radar for All-round Guidance) programme.
Germany has purchased the GM406 version of the GM400 family, which is optimised for fixed positions and has twice the transmit/receive units of the mobile GM403 version. This provides a +3 dB gain in performance and a 15% increase in range over the GM403. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
24 Sep 15. Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has been selected by the U.S. Army to develop the Airborne Reconnaissance Low-Enhanced (ARL-E) Long-Range Radar. Under terms of the indefinite delivery indefinite quantity contract, Northrop Grumman will develop a synthetic aperture radar (SAR)/ground moving target indicator (GMTI) system for the ARL-E DHC-8.
“The Long Range Radar [LRR] is a natural fit into the Northrop Grumman family of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance [ISR] systems and mission solutions,” said Steve McCoy, vice president of tactical sensor solutions, Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems. “Our low-risk, affordable solution combines mature Active Electronically Scanned Array [AESA] technology with operationally proven hardware and software to meet all-weather and long-range ISR requirements.”
Northrop Grumman’s LRR solution helps enhance the Army’s C4ISR capabilities by combining the proven Gen 2 Vehicle and Dismount and Exploitation Radar (VADER) back-end electronics and software with a high technology readiness level AESA to meet the demanding performance requirements of ARL-E and in particular the dismount moving target indication. Backed by more than 40 years of experience in developing and fielding radars, Northrop Grumman’s family of tactical radars provide unrelenting surveillance and precision battlefield intelligence in all types of weather and obscurants, day or night. LRR is the newest member of the tactical radar family, joining the short-range STARLite and medium-range VADER systems.
23 Sep 15. Poland to acquire Mobile Battlefield Recon Radars.
Poland’s Ministry of Defense launched a tender to acquire 104 new battlefield reconnaissance radars, with bids to be submitted by Oct. 21.
The ministry’s Armament Inspectorate said in a statement it will select five bidders who will be invited to the next stage of the procedure. Deliveries are scheduled to be completed by 2023. According to the initial technical requirements for the procurement, which were released last year, the radars are to enhance the mobile surveillance capability of the Polish military. They are to weigh no more than 25 kilograms each and be operable by a maximum of two troops. The equipment should be able to detect troops within a 10-kilometer radius, helicopters and light military vehicles within a radius of 15 kilometer, and tanks within a 24-kilometer radius, according to the released document. The radars should be able to operate in the 10 GHz to18 GHz spectrum. The estimated value of the planned procurement, which is to be carried out as part of Poland’s ongoing military modernization efforts, was not disclosed by the ministry. The country’s military upgrade and overhaul program for 2013 to 2022 is to total some 139bn zloty (US $36.9bn). (Source: Defense News Early Bird/Defense News)
22 Sep 15. DARPA tests PCAS prototype on USAF’s A-10 Thunderbolt. The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has successfully tested its persistent close air