The US Army has approved the low-rate initial production of Lockheed Martin’s Sentinel A4 air defense radar.
Army program executive officer for missiles and space, Maj. Gen. Frank Lozano, told Defense News that 19 systems will be manufactured and delivered to the service by 2025.
When the initial batch of radars is produced, the army will conduct an initial operational test and evaluation to assess their capabilities.
“There’s been a lot of discussion over the last five to seven years regarding cruise missile defense,” Lozano said. “So, we have a really high-quality radar to make sure that we can get that missile to the right point in time and space at the right time to have a successful intercept.”
The Sentinel radars will become a part of the US Army’s Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System and Indirect Fire Protection Capability.
Features
The Sentinel A4 is the latest variant in the Sentinel family of air and missile defense radars.
It features significant improvements in detecting cruise missiles, unmanned aerial systems, and rotary-wing and fixed-wing threats.
Unlike the Sentinel A3, the new variant can detect rocket, artillery, and mortar threats, providing Point of Origin and Point of Impact locations.
It also boasts improved protection against electronic threats.
In 2022, Lockheed Martin delivered five Sentinel A4 radars to the US Army to undergo developmental and operational testing.