Pakistan's long range air defence radars (AN/TPS77)

Pakistan Air Force gets TPS-77 latest American radar system:

ISLAMABAD, April 7 (Xinhua) -- The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) said on Monday that it has got the latest generation of American radar system.

The TPS-77 radars from Lockheed Martin Corp. "incorporate the state-of-the-art technology and belong to the latest generation," said a PAF statement.

The TPS-77 radars, handed over to the PAF at a ceremony in southern Pakistan's Karachi, have the unique capability to provide valley coverage and long range detection capabilities.

"With the induction of these systems, Pakistan will have the capability to curb the drug traffickers' unrestricted movement into the borders from its neighboring countries," the statement added.

• HISTORY(AN/TPS77):

On August 23, 2004, the US Air Force awarded Lockheed-Martin a $14.7 million contract for the supply of a second AN/TPS-77 transportable radar system for the Pacific Alaska Range Complex, the largest supersonic training area in the United States. The Air Force will control the two radars remotely from Eielson Air Force Base in Fairbanks. The radar system will be supplied with a straight-forward software upgrade that enables tactical ballistic missile tracking. The radar was deployed in September 2006.

On 31 May 2005, the Royal Danish Air Force awarded Lockheed-Martin a $40 million contract for the supply of two long range TPS-77 transportable radar systems along with logistics services for a four years period. These radars were aimed at improving air surveillance over Denmark and surrounding seas. By default, these two systems will be stationed at fixed sites.

In early November 2005 the US Air Force awarded Lockheed Martin an $89 million contract for the production and delivery of six long range AN/TPS-77 transportable radar systems to Pakistan. The TPS-77 military items were provided to Pakistan under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. TPS-77s were ordered in support of Pakistan's air defense operations.

• FEATURES OF (AN/TPS77):

The AN/TPS-77 is the latest configuration of the world's most successful 3D, solid-state radar design. This L-band, tactical transportable radar provides continuous high-quality 3-D surveillance on aircraft targets out to 250 nautical miles and shares commonality with the AN/FPS-117 radar with regard to maintenance activity and Line Replaceable Units (LRUs). There are 127 AN/FPS-117 systems operational in 14 countries and many have operated for years completely unmanned in remote areas and in a wide range of operational environments.

Easy to transport and deploy. Pakistani armed forces has a logistical advantage over its adversery by moving this radar to remote locations via its C-130 air crafts. the Lockheed Martin AN/TPS-77 allormance and reliability. It provides superior long-range detection, especially in weather and clutter, and 360-degree azimuth coverage.

Radar has the flexibility to meet the evolving theater ballistic missile (TBM) threat. Field commanders can count on accurate target data at ranges up to 250 nautical miles and elevations up to 100,000 feet from a radar that can operate 24 hours a day, even with no on-site personnel. Simplified logistics and remote maintenance-monitoring capabilities reduce contribute to low cost of ownership. The system’s sophisticated performance monitoring and fault location system automatically recalibrates the radar to adjust for changes in the environment and component failures.

The AN/TPS-77 offers the proven features such as

* Solid-state, active phased array
* Superior performing L-band operation
* Modular, commercial-off-the-shelf components
* Advanced pencil-beam architecture
* Simplified maintenance
* 99.7% operational availability
* No onsite technicians required.

• WORKING (AN/TPS77);

The AN/TPS-77 is an L-Band, phased array, all solid-state radar. The radar’s planar array
antenna rotates to provide 360 degree azimuth coverage. As the antenna rotates, the radar
transmits pencil beams that are electronically phase scanned to provide complete elevation
coverage.
Instead of a single transmitter, the AN/TPS-77 utilizes 34 all solid-state transmitters and
receivers that are located on the antenna array - directly coupled to their antenna elements.
This architecture eliminates high power rotary joints and central transmitters - two
common single points of failure in most long-range radars. Only low-level IF signals pass
across slip rings to off-array signal and data processing equipment. The processing
equipment, along with customized operator interface and communications equipment, is
located in a single ISO shelter.
According to Skolnik’s Radar Handbook, "L-Band is the preferred frequency band for
land-based long-range air surveillance radars." The AN/TPS-77 provides all the natural
benefits of L-band, including superior long-range detection performance, especially in weather and clutter. In
addition, full monopulse processing in both azimuth and elevation allows accurate position determination with
every "hit" on a target.
The all solid-state design of the AN/TPS-77 has proven its reliability. Comparable FPS-117 radars have
consistently demonstrated mean-time-between-critical-failures (MTBCF) of more than 2000 hours. The
AN/TPS-77’s fault tolerent architecture also allows it to perform within its specifications even if component
failures occur. To eliminate the need for on site technicians, a sophisticated performance monitoring and fault
location (PMFL) system automatically recalibrates the radar to adjust for changes in the environment and
component failures. The output of the PMFL can be remotely accessed to monitor the radar’s performance

High Reliability and Remote
Maintenance Monitoring Enable a
Smaller Deployment Footprint:
• Simplified maintenance means
fewer skilled technicians
• No on-site technicians are required
• A single technician can remotely
monitor several radars from

virtually anywhere
• Requirements for on-site and
theater spares are reduced
• 99.7% operational availability
ensures mission performance with
fewer radars
Benefits of Common FPS-117 and
AN/TPS-77 Support Infrastructure
• Reduced inventory of Line
Replaceable Units (LRUs) and
repair parts
• Common test and support
equipment can be used
• Common training and technical
manuals reduce logistics cost

• Radar Characteristics

1. General Characteristics ARE 
2. Frequency Band (D/L) – 1215 to 1400 MHz
3. Active Electronic Elevation Scanning Array
4. Solid State Transmitters

Antenna Characteristics

• RF Power19.9 kw
• Average RF Power3.6 kw
• Antenna Aperture Size27.1 m2 (291.7 ft2)
• Number of Active Rows34
• Scan Rate (Dual)5/10 or 6/12 RPMs

ABT Coverage Volume

• Range10 – 470 km (5 – 250 nmi)
• Azimuth360°
• Height0 – 30.5 km (0 – 100 kft)
• Elevation-6° to +20°

Transportation Configuration

• C-130, Helicopter, Truck, Train

TBM Coverage Volume

• Range10 – 470 km (5 – 250 nmi)
• Azimuth360°
• Search Elevation-6° to +20°

• TPS-77 Performance

Frequency Control4 Agility Modes

1. 100 Center Frequencies
2. Sectorized Control
3. ABT Detection300 km (160 nmi)
4. (80% PD, 1m RCS)

ABT Accuracy

1. Range< 50 m (164 ft)
2. Azimuth0.25° at 250 km (135 nmi)
3. Height915 m at 250 km (3000 ft at 135 nmi)

System Reliability

1. Availability99.5%
2. Critical MTBF> 2000 Hours
3. MTTR< 45 Minutes

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