Lockheed Martin submits bid for EQ-36 radar production

Lockheed Martin has submitted its contract proposal for full-rate production of a new US Army radar that provides soldiers in combat with enhanced 360-degree protection from rockets, mortars and artillery.

The Enhanced AN/TPQ-36 (EQ-36) Counterfire Target Acquisition Radar, developed by Lockheed Martin under a separate 2007 contract, can detect, classify, track and locate the source of enemy indirect fire in either 360- or 90-degree modes. EQ-36 will eventually replace legacy AN/TPQ-36 and AN/TPQ-37 medium-range radars now in the Army's inventory.

Even as Lockheed Martin was developing the EQ-36 radar, urgent needs statements for this 360-degree capability were coming in from the battlefield. In July 2008, based on successes with the concurrent development program, the Army awarded Lockheed Martin an accelerated contract for 12 initial production EQ-36 systems.

"We delivered the first two EQ-36 radars ahead of schedule to the Army in July 2009 and the last of these systems in November 2010," explained Lee Flake, Lockheed Martin's EQ-36 program director. "Just 45 months after we began developing EQ-36, operational radars began deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan in September and October of 2010. The positive feedback about their impact in theater has been tremendously gratifying."

In April 2010, the company received an additional order for 17 more EQ-36 radar systems. In August 2011, the first two of these radars were delivered ahead of schedule and a contract option was exercised to expand the order to 20 systems.

The Lockheed Martin EQ-36 team also includes SRC, of Syracuse, NY.

Source: Lockheed Martin