Pakistan Military Watch

FORT BELVOIR, Va: To the untrained eye, U.S. Army radar-generated maps may look like a bird's-eye view of a city at night; however, these images contain useful intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance information that reveal concealed objects by penetrating foliage, buildings and some terrain while overcoming camouflage, concealment and deception techniques.


These maps, which highlight boundaries not visible to traditional electronic sensors, are made possible by the U.S. Army's Tactical Reconnaissance and Counter Concealment Enabled Radar, or TRACER. Developed by the Research, Development and Engineering Command's communications and electronics center, TRACER is a mid-range, long wavelength synthetic aperture radar system that provides all-weather persistent surveillance.
Due to its decreased size, weight and power consumption compared to the predecessor Foliage Penetration Radar program, or FOPEN, TRACER operates on manned and unmanned platforms and produces images on-board in less than five minutes.
To introduce TRACER's capabilities to Army and Department of Defense technology influencers and to emphasize the technology's ability to penetrate more than just foliage, the Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center hosted a VIP presentation May 19, at its Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate facilities at Fort Belvoir, Va.
The predicted challenge of presenting TRACER to the Army at large is demystifying the notion that TRACER and FOPEN are only for foliage penetration.
"In some ways, we are a victim of our own success since FOPEN stands for foliage penetration but does more than just foliage penetration; it can reveal various areas of interest that may be camouflaged or obstructed and has applicability in multiple areas of operation," said Dan Kuderna, chief, CERDEC Intelligence and Information Warfare Directorate Radar and Combat Identification Division.
The TRACER program began in April 2007, but FOPEN has been in the field since the late-90s and is the result of a joint Defense Advanced Research Project Agency, U.S. Air Force and Army Advanced Technology Development program. FOPEN was originally used to demonstrate low frequency radar's ability to penetrate, but its proven success allowed it to be used for a variety of missions, said Kuderna.
As a follow-on to FOPEN, the TRACER system can be tailored to specific missions by providing a variety of SAR images including strip maps and spotlight and circle images.
Participants had a first-hand look at the TRACER payload integrated on a C-12 platform and posters of TRACER-generated images.
"Overall, the presentation went very well," Kuderna said. "VIPs got a positive impression, and there was serious interest in bringing the capability forward."
This fall, TRACER will be tested on NASA's unmanned Predator-B (IKHANA), and later on Air Warrior.

LONDON: Lockheed Martin will deliver a long-range air surveillance radar system to the United Kingdom that overcomes sensor performance issues commonly caused by the rotating blades of wind turbines.

The advanced electronics of Lockheed Martin's TPS-77 radar mitigate interference, or "clutter," that commonly obscure radar targets in and around wind farms. The new radar system will provide reliable air defense surveillance capabilities for the U.K. Ministry of Defense (MoD) and allow the nation to move forward with aggressive plans to install some 924 turbines along England's east coast.

The radar will provide surveillance over five planned wind farms in the Greater Wash Strategic Area -- Sheringham Shoal, Race Bank, Dudgeon, Triton Knoll and Docking Shoal -- that are expected to generate more than 5,500 megawatts of sustainable power.
Under contract with Serco, Lockheed Martin will deliver this new TPS-77 system by November 2011. In the U.K., Serco has served as Lockheed Martin's in-country Contractor Logistic Support partner for the MoD's FPS-117, or Type 92 radars, delivering greater than 98 percent operational availability.
The TPS-77 radars' capabilities in "green" wind field environments has been demonstrated in tests at land-based wind farms near the company's outdoor test range in Cazenovia, NY, as well as in trials with the Horns Rev offshore wind farm in the North Sea. The radar itself is also highly energy-efficient, delivering top performance while using just half the power of comparable S-band radars.
The new TPS-77 radar system supports the goals of the U.K. Department of Energy and Climate Change to reduce fuel consumption. In 2009, the U.K. established the Low Carbon Transition Plan to reduce emissions 34 percent from 1990 levels by 2020. The plan calls for an 80 percent reduction by 2050. With more than 200 operational offshore wind farms, wind power is the nation's biggest renewable energy source. In 2008, the U.K. surpassed Denmark as the largest offshore wind generator in the world.
Lockheed Martin continually incorporates state of the art technology into its TPS-77 and FPS-117 family of ground-based radars," explained Carl Bannar, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin's Radar Systems business. "This investment allows us to provide new capabilities and enhanced performance for customers while leveraging the field proven architecture and 30 years of operational experience with our family of long range radars."
Lockheed Martin's TPS-77 is the latest configuration of the world's most successful 3-D solid-state radar design. This fixed site or transportable radar provides continuous high-quality 3-D surveillance on aircraft targets at ranges out to more than 250 nautical miles.



Lockheed Martin's TPS-77 shares a high degree of logistics commonality with the FPS-117 (Type 92) radar. Today, 33 TPS-77s and 134 FPS-117 systems are operational in 25 countries. Many have performed for years completely unmanned in remote areas, and in a wide range of operational environments.



Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that 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. The Corporation reported 2009 sales of $45.2 billion.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.: Boeing representatives joined the U.S. Air Force and Florida Air National Guard (ANG) in Jacksonville today to roll out the first operational ANG F-15C equipped with an Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar. Boeing is under contract to upgrade 14 ANG and 10 Air Force F-15C/D aircraft with AESA.


The Raytheon APG-63(V)3 AESA radar being installed on the F-15s combines the operationally proven APG-63(V)2 software with the advanced APG-79 Transmit/Receive hardware found on the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. It is a reliable and affordable high-performance AESA for the F-15 air-to-air variant. The AESA radar antenna is 50 times more reliable than the mechanically scanned antenna it replaces.
“The (V)3 AESA radar will greatly improve F-15 pilots’ situational awareness, beyond-visual-range targeting, and weapon accuracy,” said Jim Means, director of Proprietary Programs for Boeing Global Strike Systems. “The new radar also enhances the capability to find and track small targets at low altitude -- a capability the ANG will employ in its Homeland Defense Air Sovereignty role. The addition of a built-in test function on the AESA antenna makes the (V)3 easier to maintain.”
The APG-63(V)3 radar is the latest in a series of planned upgrades that will ensure the F-15C’s combat-proven air supremacy well into the 21st century. These include a fighter-to-fighter data link, GPS navigation and the Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System, enabling the fighter to conduct network centric operations while employing the latest air-to-air weapons.
Boeing Global Services & Support provides sustainment services for the Air Force F-15 fleet, including spares and retrofit programs, field service teams and a full range of training systems and services.

A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is one of the world’s largest defense, space and security businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world’s largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is a $34 billion business with 68,000 employees worldwide.

NEUILLY-SUR-SEINE, France: Thales has signed a contract to equip France’s additional three FREMM frigates with radar, infrared search and track, sonar and communications systems - bringing to 11 the number of French multi-mission frigates the company will supply.

“This latest contract reinforces Thales’s position as a key partner in developing the most advanced naval warfare systems available and further strengthens FREMM’s future,” said Pierre-Eric Pommellet, Thales Senior Vice President in charge of Defence Mission Systems, during the signature with Bernard Planchais, DCNS Executive Vice-President.

FREMM is the European programme for multi-mission frigates, launched in 2005 by France and Italy. Run by OCCAR (European joint armaments cooperation organisation), the objective of this programme is to replace existing navy frigates with new 6,000-tonne frigates, equipped with cutting-edge warfare systems.

French Defence Minister Hervé Morin announced in October 2009 that France had ordered these three additional navy frigates, bringing its total order to 11, alongside 6 frigates already ordered by Italy.

The newly signed contract takes into account new allocations for the FREMM frigates, namely 9 anti-submarine (ASM) versions and 2 anti-air versions (FREDA).

The Thales-Elettronica joint venture, SIGEN, oversees the provision of next generation electronic warfare systems under a separate set of contracts. As part of this partnership, Thales supplies FREMM frigates with detection, scrambling, and decoy systems for detecting threats, interceptingcommunications, and providing self-defence.

Prime contracting duties for FREMM are handled by DCNS in France, and by Orrizonte Sistemi Navali in Italy.

Thales is a global technology leader for the Aerospace and Space, Defence, Security and Transportation markets. In 2009, the company generated revenues of 12.9 billion euros with 68,000 employees in 50 countries. With its 25,000 engineers and researchers, Thales has a unique capability to design, develop and deploy equipment, systems and services that meet the most complex security requirements. Thales has an exceptional international footprint, with operations around the world working with customers as local partners.

Seoul: South Korea said Friday it had deployed advanced weapons-tracking radar systems on islands near its disputed Yellow Sea border with North Korea following last week's artillery barrages by the North.
Defence Minister Kim Tae-Young told lawmakers the AN/TPQ-36Firefinder systems had been set up on Baengnyeong and Yeonpyeongislands.
"A few days ago, deployment of anti-artillery radar systems was completed," the minister was quoted as saying by Yonhap news agency.
The system is designed to determine where incoming artillery and rocket fire originated, to allow for a possible counter-attack.

After declaring two "no sail" zones, the communist state last weekfired 370 shells into the sea near the border over three straight days,heightening tensions on the Korean peninsula.
Seoul's military said Wednesday the North had designated another two "firing zones" in the area, effective for four days from Friday, raising the prospect of more artillery fire.
The North said its salvoes last week were part of a routine winterexercise but South Korea and the United States described them asprovocative.
The Yellow Sea border was the scene of deadly naval battles in 1999and 2002 and of a firefight last November which left a NorthKorean patrol boat in flames.