LOS ANGELES AFB, 26 Dec. 2006. U.S. Air Force researchers are working with two major defense contractors to blend surface moving target indication, synthetic aperture radar imaging, and high resolution terrain information to create a new capability for global persistent intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR).

This new capability for global surveillance will be for U.S. Department of Defense intelligence specialists, as well as for U.S. intelligence agencies such as the CIA, National Security Agency, and National Reconnaissance Office.

The Air Force awarded contract modifications to Northrop Grumman Space Technology in Redondo Beach, Calif., as well as to the Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co. in Littleton, Colo., which establishes candidate architectures for the new persistent ISR system, which involve space-based radar.

Northrop Grumman's contract modification is worth $49 million, and Lockheed Martin's contract modification is worth $48.7 million. The contracts were awarded Dec. 15. Awarding the contracts was the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center at Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif.

These contracts define a process, which, through trade studies, modeling, simulation, risk reduction, and technology demonstrations, to explore a broad trade space of potential space radar solution sets.

The contract modifications maintain the existing scope, and extends the period of performance through April 2009.