At its regular radar users' conference in Orlando, FL (attended by representatives from more than 25 countries), security and aerospace company Lockheed Martin of Bethesda, MD, USA has unveiled its Digital Array Row Transceiver (DART) next-generation radar technology.
Based on the use of gallium nitride (GaN) technology, DART results in greater performance within existing Lockheed Martin radar products and lowers life-cycle costs due to an increase in energy efficiency. The firm says that GaN is a low-risk solution, whether part of a systems upgrade or in a newly built system.
DART improves on Lockheed Martin's ground-based radar products. The new technology is available in the recently launched TPS-77 Multi Role Radar system and is fully compatible with legacy products (TPS-77, TPS-59, FPS-117) and can help to extend a radar's useful life.
"This technology is based in part on feedback we have received from customers with whom we've developed strong partnerships over decades," says Mark Mekker, Lockheed Martin's director, surveillance radar.
Lockheed Martin has produced and maintains more than 175 surveillance-range radars, which are operational around the world detecting targets at ranges up to 250 miles, 24 hours a day. These radars are capable of operating completely unmanned and many have performed for decades in remote, inhospitable areas and in a wide range of operational environments, says the firm.
Lockheed Martin notes that no FPS-117, TPS-77 or TPS-59 radar has ever been taken out of service, and the systems continue to operate well beyond their original 20-year service lives (many are planned to operate for more than 40 years).
