Lockheed's Q-53 shows drone tracking capability

SYRACUSE, N.Y., June 28 (UPI) -- Lockheed Martin's AN/TPQ-53 counterfire radar recently demonstrated its ability to identify and track drones and pass that information to a command and control node, a key capability as battle spaces increasingly become crowded with new air threats, the company announced Monday.

The Q-53 demonstration showed that the system can provide troops with an awareness of air threats in real time, the company said in a statement.

The demonstration was part of the U.S. Army's Maneuver and Fires Integration Experiment at Fort Sill, OK, an exercise that brings together industry, military and academics to assess warfighter needs.

The Q-53 demonstrated its ability to provide both air surveillance and counterfire target acquisition in one tactical sensor.

It identified several drones and provided data to a forward air defense unit while simultaneously providing accurate targeting data on rockets, artillery and mortars, the company said.

The Q-53 can detect, classify, track and determine the location of indirect enemy fire in either a 360-degree or 90-degree mode.

Lockheed has delivered more than 60 of the systems to the Army since winning the Q-53 development contract in 2007, the company said.