Lockheed Martin received a $14.7 million contract to add a second AN/TPS-77 transportable radar system to the U.S. Air Force's inventory for the Pacific Alaska Range Complex (PARC), the nation's largest contiguous supersonic training area.

Under the contract, Lockheed Martin will provide the Air Force with an AN/TPS-77 radar, along with associated supplies, equipment and services, to improve safety and surveillance in 68,000 square miles of military training airspace over the 90,000-acre PARC area. The first PARC radar, also produced at Lockheed Martin's facility in Syracuse, NY, is scheduled to be deployed on a rocky, barren mountaintop located in the Alaska Range east of Fairbanks.

Both radars will operate within radomes - domed shelters that protect radar arrays from harsh environments - and be powered by on-site generators. The Air Force will control the radars remotely from Eielson Air Force Base in Fairbanks.

"With the transportable AN/TPS-77 added to its inventory, the Air Force also gains additional mission flexibility," said Dr. Denny Beres, vice president, airborne and land-based radars at Lockheed Martin in Syracuse. "With a straightforward software upgrade, the AN/TPS-77 has the inherent capability to provide tactical ballistic missile tracking as well."

The AN/TPS-77 is the latest configuration of the world's most successful 3-D solid-state radar design. This L-band, tactical radar provides continuous high-quality 3-D surveillance on aircraft targets at ranges out to 280 miles and at elevations up to 100,000 feet. The second PARC radar will represent the 25th AN/TPS-77 off the production line.

The AN/TPS-77 shares commonality with the AN/FPS-117 radar with regard to maintenance activity and Line Replaceable Units (LRUs). There are 127 AN/FPS- 117 systems operational in 14 countries. Many have operated for years completely unmanned in remote areas and in a wide range of operational environments.

Headquartered in Bethesda, MD, Lockheed Martin employs about 130,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture and integration of advanced technology systems, products and services.

For additional information, visit our Web site:

http://www.lockheedmartin.com/ms2.

SOURCE: Lockheed Martin