American aerospace giant Lockheed Martin is preparing to deliver five high-performance Sentinel A4 radars to the US Army next month.
Company director for Army radar programs Mark Mekker told reporters on Monday that Lockheed remains “ahead of schedule” in producing the air and missile defense radar.
The five radars will complete contractor testing before undergoing developmental and operational testing in May. The service seeks to deploy the units in eight to 12 months.
The Sentinel A4 radars will replace the legacy Sentinel A3. An additional five radars will be handed over to the US Army in 2023.
As part of the contract with Lockheed, the US Army can exercise options for another eight Sentinel A4 radars.
‘A Key Enabler’
Last year, the US Army identified Sentinel radars as one of 28 “key enablers” for the military.
The acquisition of the air defense radars is part of the service’s most important modernization efforts.
According to Lockheed, the Sentinel A4 provides “significant improvements” to the existing Sentinel capability against cruise missiles, drones, and rotary-wing and fixed-wing aircraft.
The upgraded Sentinel can also detect incoming rockets, artillery, and mortars while providing added protection against electronic threats.
“The new Sentinel A4 radar will provide improved surveillance, detection, and classification capabilities against current and emerging aerial threats in order to protect battlefield maneuver formations and high value static assets,” the company said.
‘A More Secure Environment’
Sentinel A4 program manager Troy Allen expressed his gratitude to the US Army for their confidence in the experience and performance of Lockheed Martin.
He said that the new radars will provide a “more secure warfighting environment” to American soldiers and improve the service’s capabilities against multiple threats.
“The Lockheed Martin team truly understands the importance that this system holds for our warfighters,” Allen commented in 2021.