The Royal Norwegian Air Force selected Lockheed Martin’s TPY-4 ground-based air surveillance radar to enhance the country’s long-range surveillance capability.
TPY-4 is a multi-mission, ground-based radar for air defense surveillance that can operate in contested electromagnetic environments and provides the warfighter an ability to detect and track current and emerging threats. Gallium Nitride (GaN) technology in the system also provides greater efficiency and improved reliability as compared to legacy systems.
“We are grateful to be selected to help protect the safety of Norwegians. The TPY-4 is a continued advancement of our 21st Century Security vision supporting joint all domain operations for the United States and its allies,” said Chandra Marshall, vice president of Radar and Sensor Systems at Lockheed Martin. “Norway joins the U.S. Air Force as our first NATO partners for the TPY-4 radar, and we look forward to offering this radar to solve evolving challenges of international partners.”
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The radar can be adapted to new missions via simple software enhancements without any architectural or hardware changes. The TPY 4 radar can identify and track smaller threats at longer ranges than ever before. This multi-mission system will integrate seamlessly into existing air defense systems and can operate in contested environments.
“The threats that air defence radar has to counter are increasing and enhanced operational requirements call for more capable radars, including detection of small targets at longer ranges, enhanced electronic protection measures and target tracking. The TPY-4 radar will provide the people of Norway with the confidence of 24/7/365 homeland security for decades to come,” stated Øyvind Kvalvik, Major General and Head of Acquisitions at NDMA. “This replacement initiative is of utmost importance to our nation, and we are excited to add this radar to our defence system.”
Norway’s TPY-4 radars will be integrated into Lockheed Martin’s active production line, making this a low risk option for the Norwegian Defence Material Agency. In March, the U.S. Air Force selected the TPY-4 radar system for its Three Dimensional Expeditionary Long Range Radar program.
Norwegian industry has been a crucial partner in the development of the TPY-4 radar. Lockheed Martin leveraged an extensive Norwegian supplier-base for this radar system. In particular, the relationship with KONGSBERG Defense & Aerospace resulted in the production of the first TPY-4 which included the Platform Electronics SubSystem (PES) built by KONGSBERG, a critical element in the foundation of this next generation sensor that meets and exceeds current customer requirements for long-range surveillance.
“Our strong relationship with Lockheed Martin exemplifies the importance of building durable and trusted partnerships to serve both national and international customers. Together we will deliver world-class products within radar technology to the Norwegian Armed Forces. This contract is not only important for us as a strategic partner for the Norwegian Armed Forces but also for our subcontractors in Norway,” says Eirik Lie, president of KONGSBERG.
The TPY-4 radar has significant commonality with the U.S. Army’s new Sentinel A4 radar, which will replace the Sentinel A3.
