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Leidos has secured a US$32 million (AU$48 million) contract by the Marine Corps System Command through the Consortium Management Group to deliver four Medium Range Air Defense Radar prototype systems within a two-year span.
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This defence radar systems development contract calls for four Medium Range Air Defense Radar prototype systems within a two-year span, with Leidos’ Dynetics team leading the development of the required sensors.
Larry Barisciano, the weapons technology operations manager for Leidos’ Dynetics Group, said, “This win represents a significant transition for the Leidos team. Our successful R&D process has created a path for this opportunity to become a true program of record. We’re excited to begin developing, producing, and deploying these sensors for our nation’s Marines.”
Leidos’ Dynetics Group previously developed the Marine Expeditionary Long-Range Persistent Surveillance (MELPS) assets through the Office of Naval Research Multi-domain Radar in Contested Environments program, which was managed by Leidos’ Innovation Center.
Matt Becker, Leidos vice-president and division manager for integrated tech solutions, said the MELPS systems are especially useful for troops in forward deployed and vulnerable locations.
“The Marines have formidable sensors that do their job very well, but many of their current sensors use high-power radars, making them susceptible to detection and attack the moment they’re used. Any time large radars are energised, they become a high-valued target by a peer or near-peer adversary, so the Marines are very careful and selective about when to turn them on when operating in a contested environment,” Becker explained.
Based on the company’s Army Long-Range Persistent Surveillance (ALPS) system, the new MELPS system has a 360-degree field of view sensor that combines digitised antennas and receivers with sophisticated signal processing techniques to provide a persistent, high-quality air picture with no detectable electromagnetic footprint.
The US Army is currently fielding the ALPS passive sensor overseas in support of air and missile defence, with more than 20 systems pending deployment for various combatant commands.
Becker added, “This technology really matters on a day-to-day basis to our government and military end users ... As we speak, we’ve got a dozen systems out there across the world actively feeding the air picture into command-and-control nodes and helping troops stay safe.
“There have been several world events in which our systems have played an important role, including recent events in Eastern Europe,” he added.
Leidos’ work on the new systems will be based on expertise from previous sensor development programs as well as feedback from live demonstrations. Work will primarily be performed in Huntsville, Alabama, with some labour conducted in Arlington, Virginia, with the current delivery date scheduled for 2025.
Leidos is a Fortune 500 technology, engineering, and science solutions and services leader working to solve the world’s toughest challenges in the defence, intelligence, civil, and health markets.
