The US Missile Defense Agency is planning a highly mobile radar system to improve the detection and tracking of hypersonic and other advanced missiles.
The US Missile Defense Agency (MDA) is planning a highly mobile radar system to improve the detection and tracking of hypersonic and other advanced missiles.
In a pre-solicitation notice, the MDA said its Mobile Land-Based Sensors Project Office is developing the Forward-Based Mode Radar Next program to prototype a rapidly deployable sensor that can provide early warning, tracking, and discrimination of emerging missile threats.
The planned system would be designed to operate as part of the existing US missile defense architecture and track ballistic, cruise, and hypersonic missiles, including threats that are difficult to detect because of their speed and maneuverability.
The MDA said the radar would need to be highly mobile and rapidly deployable, allowing it to provide sensing capabilities from forward locations.
The agency also wants the system to improve the ability of the broader missile defense network to distinguish actual threats from other objects.
US Missile Detection
The MDA has pursued other programs to strengthen US missile detection and tracking.
One example is the Long Range Discrimination Radar in Alaska, which is designed to provide persistent coverage and discrimination of ballistic missile threats as part of the Ground-based Midcourse Defense system.
The agency has also worked with the US Navy on the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense system, which uses ship-based SPY-series radars and interceptor systems.
For hypersonic threats, the US developed the Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor program, which uses space-based sensors to detect and track maneuvering threats that can be difficult for ground-based systems to follow.
