Romania will gain greater situational awareness with two new TPS-77 radars under a contract agreement with Lockheed Martin. Like all next-generation radars made by Lockheed Martin, the company is planning to include innovative new Digital Array Row Transceivers (DART), which will lead to energy efficiency and greater performance for the suite of radars.
Romania and Lockheed Martin have built a strong partnership for over 20 years, which includes more than two dozen ground-based radars and enhancements for Romania’s air surveillance and weather radar network. This latest agreement highlights Lockheed Martin’s role to continually provide technology to meet its customers’ missions.
The TPS-77 uses Gallium Nitride (GaN) technology which allows the high-power amplifiers to consume much less power, ultimately increasing reliability, lowering life-cycle costs and extending the useful life of the radar. Lockheed Martin has been using GaN in its radars for more than six years. Lockheed Martin has produced and maintains more than 175 surveillance-range radars, all of which are operational around the world detecting targets at ranges up to 250 miles, 24 hours a day. These radars are capable of operating completely unmanned and many have performed for decades in remote, inhospitable areas and in a wide range of operational environments.
No Lockheed Martin FPS-117/TPS-77 radar has ever been taken out of service and the systems continue to operate well beyond their original 20-year service lives (many planned to operate for more than 40 years). This longevity is a direct result of continuous Lockheed Martin investment in state-of-the-art technology and dedication to customer success. Work on the TPS-77 radars will be done in Syracuse, N.Y.
