By
PLTOFF Georgina Lowe and FLTLT Gavin Barnett
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Australia’s
first TPS-77 radar.
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RAAF
Base Williamtown has played host to a special visitor, reaching
a significant milestone in a major Defence project in the process.
Members of No. 41 Wing, Surveillance and Control Group’s (SCG)
air defence specialists, felt a surge of excitement when Australia’s
fi rst TPS-77 radar arrived on February 9 for parallel evaluation.
The radar had just undergone extensive systems testing at Bandiana
in Victoria, before relocating to Williamtown for further assessment
in a realistic operational environment.
A long-awaited capability, the TPS-77 is part of Project Air 5375.
The project was set up in 1998 to develop, build and integrate
four operational Transportable Air Defence Radar Systems (TADRS)
into the RAAF’s Air Defence Ground Environment.
The TPS-117 will replace the three existing TPS-43 radars.
The TADRS design is based around a Lockheed Martin primary surveillance
radar and data processing system.
Raytheon Systems has supplied the secondary surveillance radar,
with ancillary components including cabins and communications
systems supplied by Tenix Defence Systems.
The project includes a fleet of trucks to transport the complete
system.
The TPS-77 is a smaller, transportable version of the FPS-117
air defence radar used by nations including Germany, Canada and
Singapore, but larger than the existing analoguebased TPS-43.
It uses a planar phased array capable of multiple transmit frequencies
and its digitally processed adaptable “pencil beam architecture”
delivers an improved detection range regardless of the environmental
conditions.
The TPS-77 boasts enhanced signal processing with high track density
and improved electronic counter-measures, as well as the inclusion
of electronic radar decoys to counter anti-radiation missiles.
The new radar is guaranteed to improve operational and exercise
deployments as it can be quickly installed, is transportable via
C-130 and is designed to suit remote operations in Australia’s
environmental conditions.
The first system is expected to be operational in late 2004.
