Posted by Skyler Frink

SYRACUSE, NY, Nov. 7, 2011. The U.S. Air Force awarded Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] $46.8 million in contract options to begin modernizing 29 long-range radars which provide advanced warning and air traffic control surveillance over North America’s airspace.

Under initial options of the Essential Parts Replacement Program (EPRP) contract, Lockheed Martin will complete engineering planning and begin to upgrade 29 geographically disbursed AN/FPS-117 long-range surveillance radars.  Expected follow-on contract options will replace and update all the radars’ signal and data processors to current commercial technology standards, extending their operational lives thru 2025. 

These FPS-117 radars were originally installed by Lockheed Martin in the early 1980s as part of the Seek Igloo North Warning program.  The company has provided several technology upgrades since then.

In recent years, Lockheed Martin has completed similar radar modernizations at sites in the United Kingdom, Germany, Romania and Kuwait.

Under the EPRP contract, Lockheed Martin will modernize 15 radars in Alaska, 11 in Canada, and one each in Hawaii, Puerto Rico and Utah, which are part of the Air Force’s Atmospheric Early Warning System, by 2014.  The contract also includes replacement of the radar sites' secondary surveillance radar, used for air traffic control purposes.  The EPRP acquisition is being led by the Ogden Air Logistics Center of the Air Force Material Command at Hill Air Force Base, Utah.

Lockheed Martin’s FPS-117 L-band radar provides continuous surveillance on air targets at ranges out to 250 miles. The radar offers performance even in high clutter environments thanks to its solid-state design and L-band operation.  The AN/FPS-117's pencil beam architecture provides detection and tracking, as well as adaptability to changing environmental conditions.