Lockheed Martin Taps
Harris Corporation for Key Role on Space Based Radar Team
(24 February 2004) Lockheed
Martin has chosen Harris Corporation to be a key member of its team pursing a
US Air Force contract to develop the Space Based Radar (SBR) system.
Space Based Radar is a transformational system being
developed for the US Department of Defense (DoD) to provide global
intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) for the military and
intelligence community. The SBR system will be comprised of a constellation of
spacecraft that will provide persistent real-time intelligence on adversary
activity through the identification and tracking of moving targets,
high-resolution synthetic aperture radar imaging, and collection of
high-resolution terrain information.
Lockheed Martin is competing to
be the prime contractor and system integrator for the program, and team-mate
Harris Corporation will develop ground communications architecture concepts and
will support another team-mate, Northrop Grumman, developing concepts and
technology for the Space Based Radar payload. The Air Force will award two
24-month study contracts in May 2004 in a down select to two prime contractors
to continue the definition of SBR system requirements and evaluate alternative
design concepts for the SBR system architecture. Final selection of the prime
contractor will be made in 2006, with initial launch scheduled for 2012.
In February 2003, Harris Corporation was awarded a potential US$ 88
million contract from the Air Force to develop a pre-prototype SBR payload. The
payload consists of an integrated Electronically Steered Array (ESA) and On
Board Processor (OBP).
Lockheed Martin has been under contract to the
Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center since December 2002 to perform trade
studies and define alternative concepts for the SBR system.
(source:
Lockheed Martin)
