RF and microwave experts at Thales-Raytheon Systems Company LLC in Fullerton, Calif., will build 50 AN/MPQ-64 Enhanced Sentinel A3 radar systems under terms of a $51.9 million contract. Officials of the U.S. Army Contracting Command at Redstone Arsenal, Ala., are asking Thales-Raytheon to provide these radars for persistent air surveillance and fire control to protect against unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), cruise missiles, fixed-wing aircraft, and helicopters. Thales-Raytheon Systems is a 50-50 joint venture between Raytheon Co. and Thales Group. It is co-headquartered in Paris and Fullerton, Calif. The Enhanced Sentinel radar uses an X-Band 360-degree phased array air-defense radar with a 46-mile range. It has electronic counter-counter-measure capabilities, a Mode 5 identification friend or foe subsystem, and non-cooperative target recognition capabilities to identify threat aircraft. Sentinel, its generator, and command-and-control interface mount on a trailer that a M1082 truck can pull. The air-defense system interfaces with the Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) battle command system architecture, the Forward Area Air Defense Command and Control System (FAAD-C2I), and the National Capital Region Integrated Air Defense Command and Control System
