Additional AN/TPQ-53 radars ordered

Lockheed Martin has received a $1.6 billion order-dependent contract from the US Army to provide additional AN/TPQ-53 counterfire radar systems, the company announced on 24 April.

The AN/TPQ-53 radar provides protection from battlefield threats; detecting, classifying, tracking and determining the location of enemy indirect fire in either 360- or 90-degree modes.

The radar can provide both air surveillance and counterfire target acquisition in one tactical sensor. It supports counter-insurgency missions as well as high-intensity combat operations. The system is highly mobile on the battlefield; it can be set up in five minutes, taken down in two minutes and supports two-man operation.

Lockheed Martin won the development contract for the Q-53 radar in 2007, and has since received five additional contracts for a total of over 100 radar systems, of which 95 systems have already been delivered to the US Army. Following this full-rate production contract, the US Army's complement of Q-53 radar systems will total more than 170.