Lockheed Martin to upgrade TPQ-53 radar microelectronics

Military microelectronics experts at Lockheed Martin are upgrading electronic components in the AN/TPQ-53 fire-control radar to improve the system's abilities to track and locate hostile rocket, artillery, and mortar fires in high-clutter environments. Officials of the U.S. Defense Microelectronics Activity (DMEA) in McClellan Park, Calif., announced their intention to award a $4.1 million contract to Lockheed Martin Mission Systems and Training in Syracuse, N.Y., to make the AN/TPQ-53 upgrades. The Q-53 solid-state phased array radar detects, classifies, tracks, and determines the location of enemy indirect fire weapons like rockets, artillery shells, mortars, and even unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in either 360- or 90-degree modes.