Lockheed says new Army radar on fast track

SYRACUSE, N.Y., April 11 (UPI) -- Lockheed Martin said Wednesday it had dramatically cut its delivery time on a new radar for the U.S. Army.

The company said in a statement that rapid progress was due to its decision to use the Syracuse Research Corp.'s prototype radar as the basis for the new 360-degree mode radar to detect incoming mortar and artillery fire that it is currently developing for the U.S. Army.

"By building on SRC's prototype radar, we've drastically shortened the time it will take to develop and deliver EQ-36 to the war fighter," said Carl Bannar, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin's Radar Systems business. "EQ-36 is about the soldier … the sooner we field this solution, the sooner it can start saving lives."

Lockheed Martin said that its EQ-36 program continues to progress rapidly. Work on the project began in January 2007, when the company won a $120 million from the U.S. Army's Program Executive Office – Intelligence, Electronic Warfare and Sensors to produce five EQ-36 radars within three years.

Lockheed Martin said it had been informed by senior U.S. Army officials that they were considering purchasing more than 180 EQ-36 radars, worth over $1.6 billion.

In October 2007, the EQ-36 radar passed its Preliminary Design Review -- PDR. Lockheed Martin and SRC displayed their EQ-36 prototype at the Association of the U.S. Army's Annual Meeting in Washington.

Syracuse Research Corporation and Lockheed Martin presented EQ-36's Antenna Electronics for its Critical Design Review -- CDR as planned during the week of Jan. 28. Lockheed Martin said it would hand over to the U.S. Army its first two EQ-36 systems in mid-2009; the next two by fall 2009; and the last one in early 2010.