The Army Product Manager for Radars (PdM Radars) yesterday awarded an $881 million contract yesterday to Lockheed Martin [LMT] for the AN/TPQ-53 Firefinder Radar, formerly called the EQ-36.
Additional information regarding the AN/TPQ-53 program will be made available following a debriefing period, the Army said in a statement.
The firm fixed price contract award has a base year and two option years, which could yield as many as 51 systems. The base year is $166 million for 12 systems.
All training and testing support to include a Limited User Test as well as Initial Operational Test and Evaluation is covered by the contract.
“The Q-53 is in production and has been battlefield-proven by the U.S. Army in Iraq and Afghanistan,” said Chip Eschenfelder, a Lockheed Martin spokesman. “The radar detects, classifies and tracks enemy indirect fire, as well as locates its source, in either 360- or 90-degree modes. The truck-mounted system also provides soldiers with greater mobility, automated leveling, and remote operation capabilities.”
The AN/TPQ-53 provides improved operational and physical functionality over existing AN/TPQ 36 radars systems, the Program Executive Office Intelligence, Electronic Warfare & Sensors (PEO IEW&S) said in a statement.
The radar detects in-flight projectiles at greater rangers and determines and communicates the firing point locations with a high degree of accuracy. It does this with a low false alarm rate, and with an improved coverage pattern. This capability allows more effective detection and counter-battery actions.
“The AN/TPQ-53 will bolster the level of protection for Soldiers in the field, by expanding basic counterfire radar capabilities in both 90 and 360 degree modes,” said Lt. Col. Robert Thomas, PdM Radars. “This is a great example of the Army and Industry coming together to ultimately deliver a system that will greatly enhance situational awareness by providing the precise location of hostile indirect fire weapons.”
Lockheed Marin developed the EQ-36 counterfire target acquisition radar under a separate contract awarded in 2007, which was expected to eventually replace the Army’s legacy AN/TPQ 36 and AN/TPQ 37 medium range radars. As the company was developing the radar, urgent needs statements from the field for 360 degree capability were coming in from theater, and in July 2008, the Army awarded Lockheed Martin an accelerated contract for 12 initial production systems. In April 2010, the company received an order for 17 more EQ-36 radars. In August 2011, the first two of these radars were delivered ahead of schedule and a contract option was exercised to expand the order to 20 systems (Defense Daily, Sept. 28).
The Lockheed Martin EQ-36 team includes SRC of Syracuse, N.Y.