Lockheed Martin has delivered an AN/TPS-59(V)3B ballistic missile defense radar system to the Kingdom of Bahrain. The radar proceeded smoothly through a site acceptance test in August and now is being used by the Bahrain Defence Force for air surveillance.

In May 2004, the U.S. Marine Corps awarded Lockheed Martin a $43.6 million contract to provide the long-range radar system to Bahrain, along with associated supplies, equipment and services, as a foreign military sale (FMS). Earlier in 2007, members of the Bahrain Defence Force were trained how to operate and maintain the system at Lockheed Martin's Radar Systems facility in Syracuse, New York, where the radar was built and tested.

"With the successful delivery of the AN/TPS-59(V)3B, the Kingdom of Bahrain has added a vital asset to its existing command and control and missile defense systems," said Ray Dean, AN/TPS-59 Bahrain project officer for the Marine Corps. "We all remain committed to meeting our allies' integrated air and missile defense systems needs, and appreciate Lockheed Martin's continued support for product excellence and customer satisfaction."

"Thanks to its strategic location and its status as headquarters of the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet, Bahrain needs superior in-country defense systems," said Congressman Jim Walsh (NY-R-25). "I'm pleased that, once again, Lockheed Martin products and Central New York are ensuring the safety of an ally, and making U.S. troops more secure."

The AN/TPS-59(V)3 is the only 360-degree coverage mobile radar in the world certified to detect tactical ballistic missiles. It can precisely predict missile launch and impact points, and cue defensive weapons against incoming threats. The radar can detect both single and multiple targets, and detect and track small air breathing targets such as aircraft. It is designed to operate with weapons systems such as the Patriot and Aegis missile defense systems.

The all-solid state AN/TPS-59(V)3 can be integrated with other sensors for improved launch and impact point prediction, extended range capabilities, cooperative engagement and joint tactical information distribution. The radar's 740-kilometer (more than 400-mile) range exceeds the range of 90 percent of the tactical ballistic missiles in the world today, and its mobility allows it to be forward-based to further extend the range of the system.

Built in the 1980s, 16 AN/TPS-59(V)3 radars continue to operate in theaters around the world, including support for Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Subsequent upgrades and enhancements since then have maintained these radars at a state-of-the-art technology level.

Lockheed Martin is a world leader in systems integration and the development of air and missile defense systems and technologies, including the first operational hit-to-kill missile defense system. It also has considerable experience in interceptor systems, kill vehicles, battle management command, control and communications, precision pointing and tracking optics, as well as radar and other sensors that enable signal processing and data fusion. The company makes significant contributions to nearly all major U.S. Missile Defense Systems and participates in several global missile defense partnerships.

Headquartered in Bethesda, MD, Lockheed Martin employs about 140,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services.

For additional information, visit our website: http://www.lockheedmartin.com/

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SOURCE: Lockheed Martin