US Army has requested $800+ MM in FY24 for the Lower Tier Air & Missile Sensor #LTAMDS (AN/MPQ-65A replacement). This funding will support further development, testing & acquisition of 5 radars - 3 EOC radars for Pacific Deterrence initiative & +2 radars to support IOT&E. #GaN. 
Meanwhile, the 2nd Lower Tier Air & Missile Defense sensor has begun verification testing at WSMR. The first sensor has been undergoing testing & EOC integration activities at #WSMR for quite some time. #LTAMDS will transition to developmental testing in late FY23. #GaN
On my previous a/c, I used to have a detailed 🧵on the 360° capability of the Army's #LTAMDS. As a programmatic decision, US Army preferred a starring array (optimal revisit rates) vs a traditional rotating one. The main array does BMD & C-ABT/CM, while rear arrays only C-ABT/CM.
Though much smaller than the main array, the rear arrays are still substantial. So much so that RTX has spun off a medium ranged radar (GhostEye-MR) utilizing a single rotating #LTAMDS rear array. They are about 50% the size of legacy PATRIOT's array & offer nearly 2/3 its perf.
So what's next for the GhostEye family? RTX has stated that the GhostEye-MR is the first of a family of LTAMDS derived sensors. It is aimed at #NASAMS upgrades. My guess is that next up would be a 360° rotating AESA utilizing #LTAMDS primary array catering to PATRIOT upgrades.
☝️approach to rapidly iterating & developing a portfolio of products, catering to different needs, from a single parent design is not different from what Raytheon & Lockheed have done with their newest #GaN AESA sensors. Both the AN/SPY-6 and LRDR/SPY-7 have several variants.
I see a rotating 360 degree GhostEye Long Range a suitable candidate for the US Navy if 👇ever materializes.
https://twitter.com/AirPowerNEW1/status/1660270882328313861
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
