Defense Technology International - December 2007 - (Page 44)

THE CUTTING EDGE TECH REVIEW CATHERINE MACRAE HOCKMUTH EQ Preview Lockheed Martin has unveiled an operational prototype of the Army’s enhanced AN/TPQ-36 radar, which enables detection and tracking of indirect ﬁre from mortars, artillery and rockets in 90and 360-deg. modes. The system, also known as the EQ-36 Counterﬁre Target Acquisition Radar, will replace the Cold War-era TPQ-36 and TPQ-37, which have a 90-deg. range. The company says the radar completed air-surveillance testing last summer and counterﬁre target-acquisition testing last spring. Like a lot of developmental weapons, this one is fast-tracked for the war on terror. Carl Bannar, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin’s radar business, says it developed the prototype in nine months, compared with the 48 months it would normally require. Lockheed Martin received a $120-million contract to begin development in January and is expected to deliver ﬁve radars within 36 months, with the ﬁrst two next summer. The third and fourth radars will be delivered in fall 2008 and the ﬁfth in early 2010. I 1 LOCKHEED MARTIN CONCEPT BOEING Laser Avenger The U.S. Army and Boeing Corp. demonstrated a new vehicle-mounted laser that can defeat roadside bombs and unexploded ordnance. The Laser Avenger was successfully tested in September at Redstone Arsenal, Ala., where it destroyed ﬁve targets and two small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) on the ground. Laser Avenger, with a 1-kw. solid-state laser, proves that directed-energy weapons are ready to deploy, according to Boeing, which developed the system in less than eight months. Laser Avenger is part of the company’s short-range Avenger air-defense system, and an upgrade that continues its transformation into the Agile Multi-Role Weapon System, which includes Stinger missiles, a machine gun and ground-to-ground and ground-to-air capability. Boeing is planning laser upgrades to enable a shoot-on-the-move capability that can defeat low-ﬂying UAVs. I 3 ON THE EDGE Sniper Boost Much has been written about the Pentagon’s rising R&D budget for technologies that counter snipers, but less is known about how well U.S. snipers perform in Iraq and Afghanistan. It turns out that heavy crosswinds are, not surprisingly, a problem. A sniper can miss a target just 400 meters (1,312 ft.) away in winds of only 5-10 mph. A Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency program dubbed “One Shot” seeks to increase a sniper’s kill-rate 10-fold or more with laser gunsights that enable snipers to engage and pull the trigger in less than a second and hit a target out to 2,000 meters in winds up to 40 mph. The goal is to develop algorithms that automatically calculate and compensate for downrange crosswinds. Darpa has awarded its ﬁrst One Shot contract, worth $2 million, to Lockheed Martin. I 44 DEFENSE TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL DECEMBER 2007 www.aviationweek.com/dti 2 U.S. ARMY http://www.aviationweek.com/dti

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Defense Technology International - December 2007

Defense Technology International - December 2007 Contents Around the World Science Watch Tech Watch BrahMos: Ramjet Ship Killer r-e-s-p-e-c-t Deja Vu Trump Card Dubai Demos Agile Helos Joint Force Online Charge UGVs Creep, Crawl to Victory Sweet Ride Fast, Lethal Ship Defense Networking Stealth: Why Raptors Can't Talk The Net Cutting Edge First Person In Review Insight

Defense Technology International - December 2007

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