Lockheed Martin wins $260 million Army contract for Q-53 counterfire radar systems
NewsAugust 26, 2013
SYRACUSE, NY. The U.S. Army has signed a $260 million contract with Lockheed Martin to build 19 additional AN/TPQ-53 (Q-53) counterfire radar systems. The Q-53, formerly known as the EQ-36, is a long-range radar system that provides enhanced 360-degree protection to soldiers from indirect fire. Mounted on a five-ton truck, the Q-53 can be automatically leveled, rapidly deployed, and remotely operated with a laptop computer or from a fully equipped command vehicle.
Lockheed Martin initially won the Q-53 radar contract in 2007, delivering 12 production systems in 2008 and an additional 20 in 2010. This order for 19 Q-53s is in addition to an order for 33 of the radar platforms that was placed in March 2012. The Army began deploying the Q-53 systems to Afghanistan and Iraq for combat in fall 2010.
“The Q-53 radar is helping to save the lives of U.S. forces through its exceptional performance in theater,” says Lee Flake, Program Director for Counterfire Target Acquisition Radar programs at Lockheed Martin’s Mission Systems and Training business. “Deployed since 2010, we have listened to feedback from our soldiers to ensure the system meets operational demands and is evolving to stay ahead of global threats.”
Manufacturing of the Q-53s will be performed at Lockheed Martin facilities in Akron, OH, Clearwater, FL, Moorestown, NJ, and Syracuse, NY.
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