USMC receives AN/TPS-80 G/ATOR
The US Marine Corps has officially taken delivery of the first factory built model of the AN/TPS-80 Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar (G/ATOR) from Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems.
G/ATOR is an air cooled, mobile, Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar that is lighter and more transportable than AESA radars that use liquid cooling. It provides multi-faceted detection and tracking of a wide range of hostile threats, as well as air traffic control capabilities.
The system is replacing five existing single-mission radars used by the USMC, and is expected to bring significant new capabilities to the Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF).
Col Matthew Culbertson, Headquarters Marine Corps Department of Aviation, USMC, said: 'What it really provides us is a modern sensor, that has great agility, that we can employ from the high end fight down to the Marine Expeditionary Unit level, and when you combine this with everything else that the MAGTF is doing in order to become a fifth generation MAGTF, it sort of brings it all together.'
G/ATOR was approved for production in 2014 and began low-rate initial production the following year. The marine corps intends to field a total 45 units to support the Aviation Combat Element as well as the artillery units with the Ground Combat Element. The final operational capability, when the last unit is delivered, is scheduled for early 2024.
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