Lockheed Martin APS-145 radar to go aboard new Customs aircraft

The U.S. Customs Service took delivery of its newest P-3 Orion Airborne Early Warning (AEW) aircraft Sept. 15, which service leaders will use against drug smuggling. This P-3 is the first equipped with APS-145 radar from the Lockheed Martin Ocean, Radar & Sensor Systems division in Syracuse, N.Y., company officials say. The APS-145 radar traditionally has been aboard the U.S. Navy`s Northrop Grumman E-2C Hawkeye for aircraft carrier fleet surveillance. The APS-145 can "see" for more than 200 miles in any direction and can monitor and track 20,000 targets simultaneously. It also can counter efforts to jam its radar signals. The biggest advantage the APS-145 has over its predecessor is its ability to adjust for environmental differences between land and sea, Lockheed Martin officials say. For more information, contact Lockheed Martin Ocean, Radar & Sensor Systems on the World Wide Web at http://www.lmco.com/news/ — J.K.