BALTIMORE, Nov. 7 (UPI) -- A study on the feasibility of replacing radar systems used on U.S. Navy amphibious ships and carriers is to be conducted by Northrop Grumman.
The study, under an 18-month contract from the U.S. Department of Defense, will specifically look at SPS-48 and SPS-49 air surveillance radars now employed by the Navy and the AN/TPS-80, a ground-based multi-mission active electronically scanned array radar being developed by the Defense Department and Northrop to replace five of the six existing radar systems used by the U.S. Marine Corps.
"The goal of this study is to identify the modifications required for an existing radar to achieve the Navy's requirements," said Todd Leavitt, director of Northrop Grumman's Maritime Sensors & Shipboard Integration business unit. "The study's risk-reduction activities will demonstrate if the modifications can affordably meet those requirements.
"The use of AN/TPS-80 as a starting point proves the scalability and adaptability of the basic system architecture for adjacent mission requirements and enables the Navy to directly leverage more than $500 million in existing investment already made."
The AN/TPS-80 is a ground /air task-oriented radar. It is undergoing government testing and is scheduled for production beginning next year.
The value of the study contract is $6 million.
