| Lockheed
Martin (NYSE:LMT) successfully displayed live tracks with an
innovative solid state active electronically steered antenna
used in an engineering development model of the Scalable Solid-State
S-band Radar (S4R). The system utilizes new high power silicon
carbide (SiC) based Transmit/Receive (T/R) modules. "According
to Carl Bannar, vice president of Lockheed Martin's Radar Systems
business, the system provides evidence of a proven approach
using high-power Silicon Carbide technology. S4R design is derived
from the S-band antenna developed for the U.S. Navy's Volume
Search Radar on the DDG-1000 next-generation destroyer.
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The S4R EDM is an
active, electronically-steered, antenna-based radar system designed
to be scalable to support multiple missions, including air surveillance,
cruise missile defense, ballistic missile defense, counter target
acquisition and littoral operations.
The S4R EDM was developed using Silicon Carbide (SiC) based
high-power Transmit/Receive (T/R) modules. SiC provides greater
power than other commonly used materials due to its increased
heat tolerance. With more power, the radar has longer range
and provides more precise target discrimination. Transmit/Receive
modules are the most critical components of a solid-state antenna.
They serve as multiple function circuits that generate and transmit
signal power over the full face of the radar, receive the reflected
radar signal, amplify it for processing and electronically steer
the radio frequency beams in space.
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