Brochure - Northrop Grumman Corporation

AN/TPS-78 and TPS-703
Solid-State Tactical Mobile Radar Systems
Proven Design for Performance, Survivability and Reliability

Northrop Grumman –
Leading Supplier of High
Performance Radars for
Over 60 years
Having produced more than 300 high
performance solid-state radar systems,
and with more than 900 ground-based
radars currently in use worldwide,
Northrop Grumman is the undisputed
world leader in solid-state radar
technology. Northrop Grumman has
long had the reputation of providing
extremely reliable, survivable and
modular solid-state radar systems. The
AN/TPS-78 and the TPS-703 are the
latest generation of state-of-the-art
radars made possible by the technological
advances in high power transistor
design. Fielded and operationally
proven by the United States Air Force
and customers worldwide, the S-Band
long-range AN/TPS-78 and the midrange
TPS-703 are in 24-hour-a-day
operation around the world.
Superior Architecture and
Technology
Full coverage detection
and tracking
Unlike many systems that still use single
pencil beam architecture, the AN/
TPS-78 and the TPS-703 employ a
stacked beam that provides full-time,
full-volume coverage of all targets.
Both radars detect high-altitude targets
Stacked Beam
The AN/TPS-78 is fielded and operationally proven by the United States Air Force and
customers worldwide.
while simultaneously detecting lowaltitude
targets in heavy ground and
sea clutter. These systems can perform
both Air Traffic Control (ATC) and air
defense missions, since they track both
commercial targets and high-speed maneuverable
military aircraft. For the
TPS-703, a maritime tracker that is independent
of the air target tracker can
also be provided, and is optimized to
follow slow-moving maritime targets
in heavy sea clutter.
The AN/TPS-78 and the TPS-703 cancel
clutter from heavy ground returns,
and rain/chaff through the use of Moving
Target Indicator (MTI) and Moving
Target Detection (MTD) processing.
The tight matching of the radar’s
integral tracker to the processing architecture
provides optimum performance
in target tracking, as well as elimination
of any remaining clutter residue.
The TPS-703 air and surface trackers were
tested and demonstrated at Naval Air
Warfare Center, Weapon Division Test
Range, Pt. Mugu, California.
Pencil Beam
The AN/TPS-78 and TPS-703 full time stacked beams are simultaneously processed providing superior detection and suppression
of chaff, rain and ground clutter. Single pencil beam systems do not have this advantage.
1

User-friendly operator controls
The AN/TPS-78 and TPS-703 provide
two operator control stations with
liquid-crystal flat-panel displays. The
radars can also be operated by remote
control, permitting unattended operation.
The operator control stations provide
the control menus, the airspace
surveillance picture, Built-in Test/Fault
Isolation Test (BIT/FIT) information
and electronic manuals. An onboard
GPS automatically selects the local
area map from the built-in worldwide
map coverage.
Command and control operations can be
performed within the shelter or remotely
from a network command center.
Extended operability
Solid-state transmitters combine the
outputs of many ultra-high reliability
solid-state modules. These modules are
inserted into identical, interchangeable
power panels. Full radar coverage does
not require all of the solid-state modules
to be operating at once. Sufficient
margin is provided in the transmitter
such that advertised performance can
easily be maintained, even with the normal
rate of failing transistors, until the
next scheduled maintenance interval.
This ‘“Fail Soft” design eliminates the
need for immediate repair of transmitter
hardware.
Additionally, the AN/TPS-78 and the
TPS-703 do not require transmit/receive
(T/R) modules on the rotating antenna.
Thus there is no risk of holes in
the radar coverage pattern due to failed
T/R modules. Because there are no active
radiating antennas, the systems are
not as vulnerable to infrared-guided
weapons, and there is no need to stop
operations to replace failed T/R modules,
giving both systems extended operability.
Technological and design
enhancements
Solid-state transmitters for both the AN/
TPS-78 and TPS-703 include the latest
in Northrop Grumman’s technological
enhancements, including use of highefficiency
silicon germanium power
transistors, which provide higher transmitter
reliability in a more compact design.
The growth in the system bandwidth
from 200 to 300 MHz relative to
previous generations of radars provides
for increased Electromagnetic Counter
Countermeasures (ECCM) performance.
Both systems have complete
range and elevation Doppler coverage
for target detection in ground, weather
and chaff clutter.
GPS time synchronization supports
network-centric radar operation, allowing
for more sophisticated target
tracking capability among collaborating
radar systems. System electronics,
including the transmitter, are contained
in the environmentally controlled shelter,
both for ease of maintenance and
for protection of the electronics.
Unrivaled Mobility
S-Band provides compact
system size
S-Band technology provides longrange
performance in the AN/TPS-78
and TPS-703, while also resulting in a
significantly smaller antenna and shelter
volume. All electronics including
the transmitter are packaged in a single
14-foot (4.3 m) International Organization
for Standardization (ISO) shelter,
among the smallest manned shelters
in use. The AN/TPS-78 and the TPS-
2
703 can each be transported in a single
C-130 aircraft. They can also be transported
locally via helicopter or by a
single truck with a mobilizer.
An integrated Identification Friend or
Foe (IFF) antenna in the main antenna
assembly eliminates the need for a separate
IFF antenna alignment, thereby
minimizing system setup time. The
antenna also has a built-in inertial measurement
unit for fast leveling. With
no special tools or equipment required,
it takes a four-person team less than 30
minutes to set up or disassemble either
the long-range AN/TPS-78 or the midrange
TPS-703. These radar systems
can be moved faster than adversaries
can target them.
The antenna ISO pallet can be transported
and deployed on a standard 5-ton truck.
The ISO shelter is 14 feet and 33 percent
shorter than other radars in its class.
The entire radar suite (generator, spares,
shelter and antenna) can be transported
on a single C-130 load.

Extensive ECCM Features
The S-Band AN/TPS-78 and TPS-703
radars employ numerous advanced
techniques to limit susceptibility to
jamming. In a wartime mode, both radars
operate in a frequency agile mode,
dynamically selecting the least jammed
frequency in the 300 MHz operating
band. The operator can also select a
fixed frequency for a peacetime mode
to maintain bandwidth capability security.
The low-sidelobe antenna will filter
out most sidelobe jamming before it
enters the radar system.
Rank-ordered Constant False Alarm
Rate (CFAR) is used to prevent false
alarms from the small amount of residual
interference that makes it through
the low-sidelobe antenna. The rankordered
CFAR eliminates false alarms
with a minimum loss of detectability
while providing resolution of closely
spaced targets. Detection of small targets
in weather and chaff is ensured by
the stacked beam architecture, which
provides the required multiple returns
on each target for Doppler processing
and impulse interference rejection.
The narrow beam widths of the S-
Band antenna reduce the amount of
clutter competing with the targets,
which helps target detection in clutter.
Survivability
The AN/TPS-78 and TPS-703 radars
are designed and proven to operate
in some of the world’s harshest, most
unforgiving environments. This outstanding
survivability is achieved by
combining unsurpassed mobility, unmatched
sidelobe levels and innovative
“cool” antenna technology.
Anti Radiation Missiles (ARM) use
sidelobe technology to lock onto sensors,
but the low-sidelobe antenna helps
further protect from such attacks. There
are no active radiating elements on the
antenna, which provides a “cool” array
to shield from the attacks of heat-seeking
missiles.
With a significantly lower weight and
smaller size than the rest of their class,
the AN/TPS-78 and TPS-703 are the
best options when dealing with challenging
conditions. The radars can be
quickly transported to different locations
as needed.
Low-Cost Logistic
Supportability
Modular design reduces
sparing requirements
The modular design in the AN/TPS-78
and TPS-703 systems reduce the number
of transmitter Line Replaceable
Unit (LRU) types by 80 percent from
previous radar designs. The entire transmitter
requires only nine different LRU
types, including fully interchangeable
pre-amps, power panels, and radio frequency
panel power amplifier modules.
The programmable processing architecture
of the AN/TPS-78 and TPS-703
reduce the number of processor LRU
types by 90 percent, with only two basic
circuit card styles needed for the
signal and data processor suite.
Leveraging system commonality
Designing the AN/TPS-78 and the
TPS-703 from the same system architecture
assures that their respective
mission requirements can be met with
a high degree of operational, training
and logistic commonality. This provides
maximum returns on acquisition
as well as operation and maintenance
(O&M) investments. There is a greater
than 90 percent commonality of major
subsystems and LRUs between the AN/
TPS-78 and TPS-703.
The two radars also offer more than 90
percent software commonality, so that
software maintenance, modification
and documentation costs are significantly
below those of competing systems.
The software is hosted on open-architecture
signal and data processors, enabling
cost-effective future upgrades.
3
Highly Reliable and
Maintainable System
Integrated redundancy and
fault tolerant design
The radars offer a mean time between
critical failure rate (MTBCF) of over
2,000 hours, greatly increasing the
time between required maintenance actions.
This excellent system availability
is achieved through a combination
of numerous factors. Redundancy integrated
throughout the systems allows
automatic reconfiguration after a fault
condition, preserving full operational
capability. Additionally, the design
margin in the solid-state transmitter
permits fault-tolerant operation meeting
specified performance. Module replacement
can be done at any time or
during planned preventive maintenance
intervals. Moreover, the environmentally
controlled shelter maintains many
of the electronics in a benign operating
environment, significantly increasing
hardware reliability.
Maintenance is easily performed in an
environmentally controlled shelter interior.
Automated setup and
unattended operation
After initial system setup, full performance
is maintained through the use
of automatic calibration and Automatic
Gain Control (AGC) functions, eliminating
the need for subsequent operator
actions. Automatic calibration enables
full performance to be continued during
unattended operation.

Electronic manuals support 100 percent BIT/FIT
The fully automated BIT/FIT in the radars provides fault detection and isolation for every module throughout the system.
BIT/FIT is performed by the computerized Radar Control Unit (RCU), supported by audio and visual fault alarms.
A complete set of electronic manuals is available in the RCU, with functional and physical views of the failed LRU and
specific instructions on the appropriate repair/replacement procedure.
Radar Characteristics
Characteristic Long-Range AN/TPS-78 Mid-Range TPS-703
Instrumented Range 240 nmi (445 km) 75 nmi (140 km)
Frequency 2.8-3.1 GHz 2.8-3.1 GHz
Data Rate 10 Seconds 5 Seconds
Height Coverage 100K/500K Ft (30.5/152.4 km) 100K Ft (30.5 km)
Air Tracking Capacity 1,000 targets 750 targets
Elevation Angle 0-20° 0-40°
Moving Target Indicator (MTI) ≥50 dB Full Range ≥50 dB Full Range
Moving Target Detection (MTD) Rain/Chaff Performance Rain/Chaff Performance
MTBCF >2,000 Hrs >2,000 Hrs
Cooling Air Air
Operating Temperature -30 to +55°C -30 to +55°C
Color Displays Flat Panel (Liquid Crystal) Flat Panel (Liquid Crystal)
Shelter 1 14-Ft. (4.3 m) ISO 1 14-Ft. (4.3 m) ISO
Setup Time

Northrop Grumman Ground-Based Radars: Unmatched Global Presence
Northrop Grumman: Over 60 Years of Radar Heritage
Northrop Grumman has 60 years of experience building radars of tomorrow
-- radars that are providing critical, real-time information all day, every day, in
every part of the world.
For more information, please contact:
Northrop Grumman Corporation
Electronic Systems
P.O. Box 17320, MS B545
Baltimore, Maryland 21203-7320 USA
Email: GroundSensors@ngc.com
© 2009 Northrop Grumman Corporation
09-BR-023-AMG
A330 documentation number: ES20090480
ES-DSEA-09-06068