HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah – Radar experts at Georgia Tech Applied Research Corp. in Atlanta will build a mobile advanced radar system to help combat aircraft pilots learn to operate safely in hostile areas guarded by modern radar-guided surface-to-air missiles.
Officials of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, announced a $770 million contract to Georgia Tech last week to build the Advanced Radar Threat System - Variant 1 (ARTS-V1) systems.
The ARTS-V1 system is for U.S. military training ranges for air crew training and tactics development to help jet fighter-bomber pilots fight effectively against advanced surface-to-air missiles.
The ARTS-V1 system is for several different aircraft -- especially for 5th generation aircraft like the F-35 joint strike fighter for enhanced training realism. The contract also will enable Georgia Tech engineers to buy long lead items, support equipment, and spare parts, and software.
The Air Force is awarding the contract to Georgia Tech sole-source because an open competition would cost too much, duplicate expenses, and delay production schedules, Air Force officials say.
ARTS-V1, which has five operators, tracks and engages several targets simultaneously, and reacts to aircrew and aircraft defensive measures. The weapon systems are integrated on a transportable and ruggedized system able to go over all range terrain to include driving on gravel, dirt, and paved roads.
The system simulates threats at full radiated power, and replicates threat signals, antenna patterns, operational modes, and threat capabilities. It sends real-time radar data to the range control center or live missions operations center together with the range's digital integrated air defense system-controlled threat environment for processing and analysis.
The ARTS-V1 system includes antenna; transmitters; command, control, and communications (C3) equipment; power-generation equipment; and other ground support equipment.
Also in late October, the Air Force awarded an $80.7 million order to the Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control segment in Grand Prairie, Texas, to build five Advanced Radar Threat System - Variant 2 (ARTS-V2) systems, and for ARTS-V2 production option two.
The ARTS-V2 is a ruggedized mobile system designed to emulate radar-guided surface-to-air missile threats. Lockheed Martin will build the ARTS-V2 to provide threat-representative radar tracking and reaction such as acquiring, tracking, and engaging several aircraft simultaneously with representative receiver, processor, and electronic counter-countermeasures.
The system will emulate advanced anti-aircraft missile radiated power, threat signals, antenna patterns, operational modes, and threat tactics. ARTS-V2 will provide multi-spectral threat representation.
The ARTS-V2 is part of the overall Advanced Radar Threat System (ARTS) project to develop and field high-fidelity threat phased array radar for live, virtual, constructive aircrew training for anti-access and area-denial environments.
On the ARTS-V1 contract Georgia Tech will do the work in Atlanta, and should be finished by October 2027. For more information contact Georgia Tech Applied Research Corp. online at https://gtrc.gatech.edu/gtarc, Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control at www.lockheedmartin.com, or the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center-Hill Air Force Base at www.hill.af.mil.
