GaN now standard for TPS-77 ground-based air surveillance radar
Officials from Lockheed Martin told MONS during the DSA 2018 exhibition being held in Kuala Lumpur between 16 April and 19 April that Gallium Nitride (GAN) Transmit/Receive (T/R) modules are now part of the radar’s standard specification. The company disclosed that all TPS-77 radars in service around the world will now be outfitted GAN T/R modules as they undergo periods of Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) throughout their service lives. Furthermore, GAN T/R modules will now be fitted as standard to all new-build AN/TPS-77 L-band (1.215 gigahertz/GHz to 1.4GHz) ground-based air surveillance radars as standard. GAN offers important capability enhancements to the AN/TPS-77 radar thanks to its ability to handle comparatively higher operating temperatures compared to the Gallium Arsenide modules used in earlier generations of active electronically scanned array radar antennae. This translates into higher radar output powers which improves range while the robust nature of GAN also increases the lifespan of the T/R modules hence reducing the MRO burden for the customer. Latvia was the first customer for the GAN-equipped AN/TPS-77 radar taking delivery of the first of three such systems in March.