The Army is moving forward with its program to find a new air and missile defense radar with the release of a prototype opportunity notice detailing plans to award a contract in September for six test systems to be fielded in fiscal year 2022.
Officials plan to eventually award a follow-on contract to procure up to 16 Lower Tier and Missile Defense Sensors (LTAMDS), which will replace the current Patriot missile defense system’s radar, according to the notice.
This spring, the Army will hold a two-week “Sense-off” demonstration at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico to test LTAMDS offerings, with the goal of using data from the event as a key factor in awarding the prototype contract.
Lockheed Martin [LMT] and Raytheon [RTN] have previously confirmed their participation in the upcoming “sense-off” (Defense Daily, Feb. 28).
The Army is then expected to award the three-year prototype deal this fall to receive six test LTAMDS by September 2022.
Officials said a follow-on production contract for up to 16 LTAMDS will be awarded “upon completion of a successful prototype.”
Program leaders have previously cited a need for the new radar to be easily integrated with the Army’s future air and missile defense battle command platform, IBCS, currently being developed by Northrop Grumman [NOC].