Long Range Discrimination Radar (LRDR)

Abstract

The mission of the LRDR program is to design, develop, integrate, deliver, field, and sustain the LRDR as an element of the Missile Defense System (MDS) Increment 6B.1 Homeland Defense Capability. Initial fielding of the LRDR was planned for late 2020 leading to approval to add LRDR to the MDS Operational Capability Baseline (OCB) in FY 2021 and an Operational Acceptance by the United States Space Force (USSF) in FY 2023. Those milestones were impacted by a cessation of work at Clear Space Force Station (CSFS), AK in the spring of 2020 to mitigate the potential spread of COVID-19. Initial fielding of LRDR was completed on December 6, 2021 and LRDR will now be added to the Increment 6B.1 OCB in FY 2023. MDS Increment 6C/7 includes software upgrades to LRDR to assess and further improve discrimination techniques and capability which will expand capability to a broader spectrum of threats, increase support to Space Domain Awareness and Space Object Identification, and examine cost reduction initiatives to reduce life cycle operating costs. The OCB/Technical Capability Declaration for Increment 6C/7 is planned for FY 2026. The LRDR is comprised of a LRDR Equipment Shelter, housing two radar array faces, a Mission Control Facility, which supports radar operations, and supporting facilities and infrastructure. The Secretary of the Air Force approved CSFS, formerly known as Clear Air Force Station, AK as the LRDR site. The USSF Space Operations Command is the designated Lead Major Command. The LRDR operates in the S-band frequency, features scalable and open systems architecture to mitigate evolving threats, and integrates into the MDS through the Command and Control, Battle Management, and Communications system. This Program Element includes MDS threat discrimination improvements to enhance MDS effectiveness against the evolving threat. The result will be a MDS architecture more capable of discriminating and intercepting re-entry vehicles with a higher degree of confidence to improve Warfighter shot doctrine, and conserve Ground Based Interceptor inventory. LRDR also supports additional mission areas including Space Domain Awareness and Space Object Identification.

Document Details

• Document Type: R2 Budgetary Justification
• Publication Date: Oct 01, 2023
• Source ID: 0604873C_4_0400_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: Missile Defense Agency

Entities

Organizations

• Missile Defense Agency

Tags

Communities of Interest

• Cyber
• Sensors
• Space
• Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

• Acquisition
• Air Force
• Ballistic Missiles
• Battle Management
• Command And Control
• Contractors
• Contracts
• Cost Analysis
• Cost Reductions
• Defense Systems
• Deployment
• Engineering
• Ground Based
• Homeland Defense
• Logistics
• Maintenance
• Space Force

Readers

• Enterprise Information Systems Architecture and Joint Command Capability Interoperability Support.
• Missile Defense Systems.

Technology Areas

• Fully Networked C3
• Fully Networked C3 - Command and Control
• Space
• Space - Space Objects