Brochure - Northrop Grumman Corporation
Brochure - Northrop Grumman Corporation
Brochure - Northrop Grumman Corporation
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AN/TPS-78 and TPS-703<br />
Solid-State Tactical Mobile Radar Systems<br />
Proven Design for Performance, Survivability and Reliability
<strong>Northrop</strong> <strong>Grumman</strong> –<br />
Leading Supplier of High<br />
Performance Radars for<br />
Over 60 years<br />
Having produced more than 300 high<br />
performance solid-state radar systems,<br />
and with more than 900 ground-based<br />
radars currently in use worldwide,<br />
<strong>Northrop</strong> <strong>Grumman</strong> is the undisputed<br />
world leader in solid-state radar<br />
technology. <strong>Northrop</strong> <strong>Grumman</strong> has<br />
long had the reputation of providing<br />
extremely reliable, survivable and<br />
modular solid-state radar systems. The<br />
AN/TPS-78 and the TPS-703 are the<br />
latest generation of state-of-the-art<br />
radars made possible by the technological<br />
advances in high power transistor<br />
design. Fielded and operationally<br />
proven by the United States Air Force<br />
and customers worldwide, the S-Band<br />
long-range AN/TPS-78 and the midrange<br />
TPS-703 are in 24-hour-a-day<br />
operation around the world.<br />
Superior Architecture and<br />
Technology<br />
Full coverage detection<br />
and tracking<br />
Unlike many systems that still use single<br />
pencil beam architecture, the AN/<br />
TPS-78 and the TPS-703 employ a<br />
stacked beam that provides full-time,<br />
full-volume coverage of all targets.<br />
Both radars detect high-altitude targets<br />
Stacked Beam<br />
The AN/TPS-78 is fielded and operationally proven by the United States Air Force and<br />
customers worldwide.<br />
while simultaneously detecting lowaltitude<br />
targets in heavy ground and<br />
sea clutter. These systems can perform<br />
both Air Traffic Control (ATC) and air<br />
defense missions, since they track both<br />
commercial targets and high-speed maneuverable<br />
military aircraft. For the<br />
TPS-703, a maritime tracker that is independent<br />
of the air target tracker can<br />
also be provided, and is optimized to<br />
follow slow-moving maritime targets<br />
in heavy sea clutter.<br />
The AN/TPS-78 and the TPS-703 cancel<br />
clutter from heavy ground returns,<br />
and rain/chaff through the use of Moving<br />
Target Indicator (MTI) and Moving<br />
Target Detection (MTD) processing.<br />
The tight matching of the radar’s<br />
integral tracker to the processing architecture<br />
provides optimum performance<br />
in target tracking, as well as elimination<br />
of any remaining clutter residue.<br />
The TPS-703 air and surface trackers were<br />
tested and demonstrated at Naval Air<br />
Warfare Center, Weapon Division Test<br />
Range, Pt. Mugu, California.<br />
Pencil Beam<br />
The AN/TPS-78 and TPS-703 full time stacked beams are simultaneously processed providing superior detection and suppression<br />
of chaff, rain and ground clutter. Single pencil beam systems do not have this advantage.<br />
1
User-friendly operator controls<br />
The AN/TPS-78 and TPS-703 provide<br />
two operator control stations with<br />
liquid-crystal flat-panel displays. The<br />
radars can also be operated by remote<br />
control, permitting unattended operation.<br />
The operator control stations provide<br />
the control menus, the airspace<br />
surveillance picture, Built-in Test/Fault<br />
Isolation Test (BIT/FIT) information<br />
and electronic manuals. An onboard<br />
GPS automatically selects the local<br />
area map from the built-in worldwide<br />
map coverage.<br />
Command and control operations can be<br />
performed within the shelter or remotely<br />
from a network command center.<br />
Extended operability<br />
Solid-state transmitters combine the<br />
outputs of many ultra-high reliability<br />
solid-state modules. These modules are<br />
inserted into identical, interchangeable<br />
power panels. Full radar coverage does<br />
not require all of the solid-state modules<br />
to be operating at once. Sufficient<br />
margin is provided in the transmitter<br />
such that advertised performance can<br />
easily be maintained, even with the normal<br />
rate of failing transistors, until the<br />
next scheduled maintenance interval.<br />
This ‘“Fail Soft” design eliminates the<br />
need for immediate repair of transmitter<br />
hardware.<br />
Additionally, the AN/TPS-78 and the<br />
TPS-703 do not require transmit/receive<br />
(T/R) modules on the rotating antenna.<br />
Thus there is no risk of holes in<br />
the radar coverage pattern due to failed<br />
T/R modules. Because there are no active<br />
radiating antennas, the systems are<br />
not as vulnerable to infrared-guided<br />
weapons, and there is no need to stop<br />
operations to replace failed T/R modules,<br />
giving both systems extended operability.<br />
Technological and design<br />
enhancements<br />
Solid-state transmitters for both the AN/<br />
TPS-78 and TPS-703 include the latest<br />
in <strong>Northrop</strong> <strong>Grumman</strong>’s technological<br />
enhancements, including use of highefficiency<br />
silicon germanium power<br />
transistors, which provide higher transmitter<br />
reliability in a more compact design.<br />
The growth in the system bandwidth<br />
from 200 to 300 MHz relative to<br />
previous generations of radars provides<br />
for increased Electromagnetic Counter<br />
Countermeasures (ECCM) performance.<br />
Both systems have complete<br />
range and elevation Doppler coverage<br />
for target detection in ground, weather<br />
and chaff clutter.<br />
GPS time synchronization supports<br />
network-centric radar operation, allowing<br />
for more sophisticated target<br />
tracking capability among collaborating<br />
radar systems. System electronics,<br />
including the transmitter, are contained<br />
in the environmentally controlled shelter,<br />
both for ease of maintenance and<br />
for protection of the electronics.<br />
Unrivaled Mobility<br />
S-Band provides compact<br />
system size<br />
S-Band technology provides longrange<br />
performance in the AN/TPS-78<br />
and TPS-703, while also resulting in a<br />
significantly smaller antenna and shelter<br />
volume. All electronics including<br />
the transmitter are packaged in a single<br />
14-foot (4.3 m) International Organization<br />
for Standardization (ISO) shelter,<br />
among the smallest manned shelters<br />
in use. The AN/TPS-78 and the TPS-<br />
2<br />
703 can each be transported in a single<br />
C-130 aircraft. They can also be transported<br />
locally via helicopter or by a<br />
single truck with a mobilizer.<br />
An integrated Identification Friend or<br />
Foe (IFF) antenna in the main antenna<br />
assembly eliminates the need for a separate<br />
IFF antenna alignment, thereby<br />
minimizing system setup time. The<br />
antenna also has a built-in inertial measurement<br />
unit for fast leveling. With<br />
no special tools or equipment required,<br />
it takes a four-person team less than 30<br />
minutes to set up or disassemble either<br />
the long-range AN/TPS-78 or the midrange<br />
TPS-703. These radar systems<br />
can be moved faster than adversaries<br />
can target them.<br />
The antenna ISO pallet can be transported<br />
and deployed on a standard 5-ton truck.<br />
The ISO shelter is 14 feet and 33 percent<br />
shorter than other radars in its class.<br />
The entire radar suite (generator, spares,<br />
shelter and antenna) can be transported<br />
on a single C-130 load.
Extensive ECCM Features<br />
The S-Band AN/TPS-78 and TPS-703<br />
radars employ numerous advanced<br />
techniques to limit susceptibility to<br />
jamming. In a wartime mode, both radars<br />
operate in a frequency agile mode,<br />
dynamically selecting the least jammed<br />
frequency in the 300 MHz operating<br />
band. The operator can also select a<br />
fixed frequency for a peacetime mode<br />
to maintain bandwidth capability security.<br />
The low-sidelobe antenna will filter<br />
out most sidelobe jamming before it<br />
enters the radar system.<br />
Rank-ordered Constant False Alarm<br />
Rate (CFAR) is used to prevent false<br />
alarms from the small amount of residual<br />
interference that makes it through<br />
the low-sidelobe antenna. The rankordered<br />
CFAR eliminates false alarms<br />
with a minimum loss of detectability<br />
while providing resolution of closely<br />
spaced targets. Detection of small targets<br />
in weather and chaff is ensured by<br />
the stacked beam architecture, which<br />
provides the required multiple returns<br />
on each target for Doppler processing<br />
and impulse interference rejection.<br />
The narrow beam widths of the S-<br />
Band antenna reduce the amount of<br />
clutter competing with the targets,<br />
which helps target detection in clutter.<br />
Survivability<br />
The AN/TPS-78 and TPS-703 radars<br />
are designed and proven to operate<br />
in some of the world’s harshest, most<br />
unforgiving environments. This outstanding<br />
survivability is achieved by<br />
combining unsurpassed mobility, unmatched<br />
sidelobe levels and innovative<br />
“cool” antenna technology.<br />
Anti Radiation Missiles (ARM) use<br />
sidelobe technology to lock onto sensors,<br />
but the low-sidelobe antenna helps<br />
further protect from such attacks. There<br />
are no active radiating elements on the<br />
antenna, which provides a “cool” array<br />
to shield from the attacks of heat-seeking<br />
missiles.<br />
With a significantly lower weight and<br />
smaller size than the rest of their class,<br />
the AN/TPS-78 and TPS-703 are the<br />
best options when dealing with challenging<br />
conditions. The radars can be<br />
quickly transported to different locations<br />
as needed.<br />
Low-Cost Logistic<br />
Supportability<br />
Modular design reduces<br />
sparing requirements<br />
The modular design in the AN/TPS-78<br />
and TPS-703 systems reduce the number<br />
of transmitter Line Replaceable<br />
Unit (LRU) types by 80 percent from<br />
previous radar designs. The entire transmitter<br />
requires only nine different LRU<br />
types, including fully interchangeable<br />
pre-amps, power panels, and radio frequency<br />
panel power amplifier modules.<br />
The programmable processing architecture<br />
of the AN/TPS-78 and TPS-703<br />
reduce the number of processor LRU<br />
types by 90 percent, with only two basic<br />
circuit card styles needed for the<br />
signal and data processor suite.<br />
Leveraging system commonality<br />
Designing the AN/TPS-78 and the<br />
TPS-703 from the same system architecture<br />
assures that their respective<br />
mission requirements can be met with<br />
a high degree of operational, training<br />
and logistic commonality. This provides<br />
maximum returns on acquisition<br />
as well as operation and maintenance<br />
(O&M) investments. There is a greater<br />
than 90 percent commonality of major<br />
subsystems and LRUs between the AN/<br />
TPS-78 and TPS-703.<br />
The two radars also offer more than 90<br />
percent software commonality, so that<br />
software maintenance, modification<br />
and documentation costs are significantly<br />
below those of competing systems.<br />
The software is hosted on open-architecture<br />
signal and data processors, enabling<br />
cost-effective future upgrades.<br />
3<br />
Highly Reliable and<br />
Maintainable System<br />
Integrated redundancy and<br />
fault tolerant design<br />
The radars offer a mean time between<br />
critical failure rate (MTBCF) of over<br />
2,000 hours, greatly increasing the<br />
time between required maintenance actions.<br />
This excellent system availability<br />
is achieved through a combination<br />
of numerous factors. Redundancy integrated<br />
throughout the systems allows<br />
automatic reconfiguration after a fault<br />
condition, preserving full operational<br />
capability. Additionally, the design<br />
margin in the solid-state transmitter<br />
permits fault-tolerant operation meeting<br />
specified performance. Module replacement<br />
can be done at any time or<br />
during planned preventive maintenance<br />
intervals. Moreover, the environmentally<br />
controlled shelter maintains many<br />
of the electronics in a benign operating<br />
environment, significantly increasing<br />
hardware reliability.<br />
Maintenance is easily performed in an<br />
environmentally controlled shelter interior.<br />
Automated setup and<br />
unattended operation<br />
After initial system setup, full performance<br />
is maintained through the use<br />
of automatic calibration and Automatic<br />
Gain Control (AGC) functions, eliminating<br />
the need for subsequent operator<br />
actions. Automatic calibration enables<br />
full performance to be continued during<br />
unattended operation.
Electronic manuals support 100 percent BIT/FIT<br />
The fully automated BIT/FIT in the radars provides fault detection and isolation for every module throughout the system.<br />
BIT/FIT is performed by the computerized Radar Control Unit (RCU), supported by audio and visual fault alarms.<br />
A complete set of electronic manuals is available in the RCU, with functional and physical views of the failed LRU and<br />
specific instructions on the appropriate repair/replacement procedure.<br />
Radar Characteristics<br />
Characteristic Long-Range AN/TPS-78 Mid-Range TPS-703<br />
Instrumented Range 240 nmi (445 km) 75 nmi (140 km)<br />
Frequency 2.8-3.1 GHz 2.8-3.1 GHz<br />
Data Rate 10 Seconds 5 Seconds<br />
Height Coverage 100K/500K Ft (30.5/152.4 km) 100K Ft (30.5 km)<br />
Air Tracking Capacity 1,000 targets 750 targets<br />
Elevation Angle 0-20° 0-40°<br />
Moving Target Indicator (MTI) ≥50 dB Full Range ≥50 dB Full Range<br />
Moving Target Detection (MTD) Rain/Chaff Performance Rain/Chaff Performance<br />
MTBCF >2,000 Hrs >2,000 Hrs<br />
Cooling Air Air<br />
Operating Temperature -30 to +55°C -30 to +55°C<br />
Color Displays Flat Panel (Liquid Crystal) Flat Panel (Liquid Crystal)<br />
Shelter 1 14-Ft. (4.3 m) ISO 1 14-Ft. (4.3 m) ISO<br />
Setup Time
<strong>Northrop</strong> <strong>Grumman</strong> Ground-Based Radars: Unmatched Global Presence<br />
<strong>Northrop</strong> <strong>Grumman</strong>: Over 60 Years of Radar Heritage<br />
<strong>Northrop</strong> <strong>Grumman</strong> has 60 years of experience building radars of tomorrow<br />
-- radars that are providing critical, real-time information all day, every day, in<br />
every part of the world.<br />
For more information, please contact:<br />
<strong>Northrop</strong> <strong>Grumman</strong> <strong>Corporation</strong><br />
Electronic Systems<br />
P.O. Box 17320, MS B545<br />
Baltimore, Maryland 21203-7320 USA<br />
Email: GroundSensors@ngc.com<br />
© 2009 <strong>Northrop</strong> <strong>Grumman</strong> <strong>Corporation</strong><br />
09-BR-023-AMG<br />
A330 documentation number: ES20090480<br />
ES-DSEA-09-06068