Marine Corps officials have approved Northrop Grumman’s [NOC] PS-80 Ground/Air Task-Oriented Radar (G/ATOR) for early fielding, paving the way to deploy the radar to two of its Air Control Squadrons, the company said on Wednesday.
Northrop said the latest milestone allows for the company to deliver the final Lot 1 and Lot 2 Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) G/ATOR systems for operational use after the system passed training and logistical tests.
“Through our close partnership with the Marine Corps, we have been able to achieve this important early fielding milestone,” Roshan Roeder, vice president of land & avionics C4ISR for Northrop Grumman Mission Systems, said in a statement. “We are looking ahead to full rate production and getting G/ATOR’s unprecedented capabilities to the Marines in the field.”
The Marine Corps awarded the initial LRIP contract to Northrop in October 2014, and the company has delivered six G/ATOR systems so far under the Lot 1 and 2 deliveries.
Once the company reaches Lot 3 deliveries, Northrop will incorporate high efficiency Gallium Nitride antenna technology to enhance the system’s operational capabilities.
Northrop also has a separate contract with the Marine Corps to deliver G/ATOR logistics support.