Major Milestone For New Recon Program
Raytheon Company has
installed the first dual mode radar for the Airborne Stand-Off
Radar (ASTOR) system, a major milestone for this UK ground
surveillance and reconnaissance program.
The ASTOR Dual Mode Radar, a key element of the UK MoD's
(Ministry of Defence) new, highly sophisticated, long range
airborne surveillance system, will be carried on board a modified
Bombardier Global Express aircraft designated by the MoD as
SENTINEL R Mk 1. The active array ASTOR radar is capable of
generating synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery of various
resolutions along with advanced moving target indicator
modes. The radar imagery and moving target data can be
simultaneously exploited and displayed on the ASTOR workstations in
both the air and ground segments.
"The Dual Mode Radar is the most advanced air-to-ground
surveillance radar technology currently available," said Raytheon
ASTOR program manager Justin Monger. "The terrific teamwork
between the MoD, Raytheon employees in Britain and America, L-3 Com
and all our teammates has helped us meet this important program
milestone."
"We are looking forward with great enthusiasm to delivering
ASTOR systems that support the war-fighting capabilities of the
United Kingdom," said Tom Kennedy, vice president for Integrated
Airborne Systems, Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems.
Bill Chrispin, the ASTOR integrated project team leader for the
MoD, welcomed the delivery and another milestone to fielding this
new capability.
"The high-altitude, long-endurance SENTINEL platform, equipped
with the Dual Mode Radar System, will give our nation's armed
forces a unique battlefield surveillance capability and allow
effective interface with current and future networks," Chrispin
said.
The first SENTINEL R Mk 1 aircraft has been used to complete all
aerovalidation, ground environmental, non-radar mission equipment
installation, and icing trial objectives, and now will be used to
complete flight testing with the radar subsystem installed and
operating. First flight is expected to take place around
September 2005.
When it enters service, the MoD's ASTOR system will be the most
advanced of its type in the world. The complete system will
include five Bombardier Global Express aircraft, each equipped with
dual-mode (SAR and Moving Target Indicator) radar and operator
workstations where the mission management and imagery can be
exploited and then transmitted to the various brigade and
divisional/joint level ASTOR ground stations by datalink. The
system operates in near real time to give battlefield commanders
rapid access to highly accurate information about what is happening
in their area of interest.