Increases National Airspace Surveillance Capability
The Argentine government has contracted INVAP to produce a further five RPA-240T surveillance radars to increase coverage of national airspace. The AR$9 billion (€83 million) contract will see the radars delivered over the next three years.
Two units will replace the Indra AN-FPS 113 and AN FPS-90 radars in Resistencia and Posadas. Of the others, one will go to Charata in Chaco Province, one to Santa Fe, and the other will be the first radar installed in Patagonia, in Río Grande. There are currently eight other INVAP radars (seven RPA-240T, one mobile RPA-170M) in operation in northern Argentina, under the national plan that seeks to provide radar coverage of the whole of Argentine airspace.
The RPA-240 is a state-of-the-art 3D long-range (up to 240 miles) L-(D-)band aerial surveillance radar, which can be moved by land or by air, and is designed to operate in permanent or semi-permanent installations, intended for airspace surveillance and for national defence and security. It features excellent performance and advanced EW technologies, enabling effective operation in even the most densely cluttered environments, or in hostile jamming conditions. Its modular design and distributed power generation allow for 24/7/365 operations, with high availability, minimal preventive maintenance and low logistics and operational costs throughout its life cycle. The system can be operated locally, constituting in itself a complete C3 centre; or remotely and practically unattended, able to be integrated into multi-sensor C2 systems.
The five new examples will receive a technology refresh, with an active phased array arrangement, with digital beamforming and AESA technologies and featuring newer GaN semiconductors.
Santiago Rivas and Florencia Lucero Heguy in Buenos Aires for MON
