Radar Development

Abstract

This funding line is a key enabler of the Army Modernization Priorities in support of the Sentinel Radar program and will provide for an incrementally fielded Integrated Air and Missile Defense Fire Control System/capability for the composite Army Air and Missile Defense Brigades. The Sentinel system is a key component of the Army Integrated Air and Missile Defense (AIAMD) architecture, providing critical air surveillance of the forward areas. The AIAMD architecture is an integrated fires development effort that includes survivability, resiliency, and effectiveness improvements against advanced threats from near-peer adversaries. This effort includes integration with an evolving common fires mission command, common development tools and processes, and annual test and evaluation to provide data to support program assessments and progress toward closure of performance gaps. Sentinel A3 consists of a radar-based sensor with its prime mover/power, Identification Friend or Foe (IFF), and Forward Area Air Defense (FAAD) Command, Control and Intelligence (C2I) interfaces. The radar is deployed in both an air defense role and a force protection role for Counter-Rocket, Artillery, and Mortar (C-RAM) missions. The sensor is an advanced three-dimensional battlefield X-Band air defense phased-array radar with an instrumented range of 75 kilometers. Sentinel is capable of operating day or night, in adverse weather conditions, in the battlefield environments of dust, smoke, aerosols and enemy countermeasures. It provides 360-degree azimuth coverage for acquisition tracking. Sentinel contributes to the digital battlefield by automatically detecting, classifying, identifying and reporting targets (cruise missiles, unmanned aircraft systems, rotary wing and fixed wing aircraft). Sentinel acquires targets sufficiently forward of the battle area to allow weapons reaction time and engagement at optimum ranges. Sentinel's integrated IFF reduces the potential for fratricide of US and Coalition aircraft. The Sentinel A4 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) is the next generation of radar technology to replace the current phase and frequency scanned array used by Sentinel today. Sentinel A4 hardware and software upgrades will extend the range for ground-based surveillance and situational awareness; will have faster and more accurate Non-Cooperative Target Recognition (NCTR) for clearing fires and preventing fratricide; will improve track accuracy, and management of larger track loads; and improve operation in severe/urban clutter. The system will provide simultaneous multi-mission capability and provides hemispherical surveillance to detect and track small targets, such as Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) and Cruise Missiles, in clutter and will detect and track slow targets, such as UAS and Rotary Wing aircraft, at low altitudes in clutter. The system will detect, track, and classify Rocket, Artillery, and Mortar (RAM) threats and will support M-SHORAD, AIAMD, IFPC and Combat Command Operational requirements with Fire Control quality tracks. Sentinel A4 will incorporate the upgraded AN//TPX-61 IFF with M-Code capability added by replacing the GB-Gram card with M-Code GB-Gram cards. Sentinel program will develop nascent capability and support Army demonstration and test initiatives to increase integrated offensive and defensive capability across warfighter functions and multiple domains.

Document Details

• Document Type: R2 Budgetary Justification
• Publication Date: Oct 01, 2023
• Source ID: 0604820A_5_2040_PB_2023
• Change Summary Explanation: FY 2023 funding increase reflects the fact that the FY 2022 President's Budget request did not include out-year funding.
• Service Agency Name: Army

Entities

Organizations

• United States Army

Tags

Communities of Interest

• Air Platforms
• Autonomy
• Electronic Warfare
• Engineered Resilient Systems
• Sensors
• Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

• Air Defense
• Aircrafts
• Contracts
• Control Systems
• Cost Reductions
• Counter Rocket, Artillery, And Mortor
• Electronic Countermeasures
• Electronically Scanned Array
• Forward Areas
• Phased Array Radar
• Phased Arrays
• Product Development
• Rocket Artillery
• Short Range Air Defense
• Test And Evaluation
• Unmanned Aerial Systems
• Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Readers

• Missile Defense Systems.
• Sensor Fusion and Tracking Systems.
• Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Autonomous Capabilities and Mission Reconnaissance.

Technology Areas

• Autonomy
• Autonomy - UAVs
• Microelectronics
• Microelectronics - Microelectromechanical Systems