JLENS put into strategic reserve by US Army

The US Army has put one Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System (JLENS) airborne radar system into strategic reserve, enabling the system to be rapidly deployed at short notice for strategic surveillance and detection of threats.

The US Army has acquired two JLENS systems from Raytheon to date, with the second system scheduled to participate in an operational evaluation at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, later this year.

JLENS is an aerostat-borne radar system that floats at altitudes as high as 10,000 feet while tethered to ground stations via a rugged cable. Raytheon developed the system for the protection of critical assets, population centres and infrastructures against a variety of threats, such as manned- and unmanned- aircraft and missiles.

Dave Gulla, vice president of Integrated Defense Systems' Global Integrated Sensors business area, Raytheon, said: ‘By putting JLENS in strategic reserve, the army is giving combatant commanders around the globe the ability to pick up the phone and, in short order, receive this incredible air defence capability in their area of responsibility.’

The system completed Early User Testing with the US Army in the third quarter of 2013, and concluded system design and development in the fourth quarter of 2013.

JLENS’ testing programme has included tracking and targeting airplanes and drones, and helping destroy cruise missile targets by integrating with the Patriot Air and Missile Defense System, Standard Missile 6 and AMRAAM defensive systems.  JLENS has also tracked threats such as swarming boats, unmanned aircraft, and detected tactical ballistic missiles in their boost-phase.

Doug Burgess, JLENS program director, Raytheon, added: ‘JLENS has proven its ability to extend the air-defence umbrella by integrating with our nation's land-, sea-, and air-based air defences to detect and intercept threats, such as airplanes, drones and cruise missiles. The success of this operational evaluation is another significant step forward because it will demonstrate that JLENS has unmatched defensive capabilities. Raytheon is doing its part to get both the soldiers and the system ready.’