The U.S. Army is about to finally decide on the production prospects of the newly developed air defense radar for Patriot surface-to-air missile systems in the coming weeks. The technology in question is the Lower Tier Air & Missile Defense Sensor (LTAMDS), a truly innovative creation by Raytheon, which entered the final testing phase in fall 2023.
The preliminary feedback from the U.S. military was shared by the Army's missile and space program chief, Major General Frank Lozano, with Defense News. The reviews are generally positive, Lozano calls LTAMDS a "huge, significant capability" noting how the new radar effectively doubles legacy Patriot radar capability.
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On a note from Defense Express, the most important upgrade LTAMDS brings into the system is the elimination of Patriot's current main drawback: it ensures simultaneous 360° observation, while the old radars — AN/MPQ-53 and AN/MPQ-65 — could only see threats coming from a limited sector of view.
The initial batch for the U.S. Army will consist of about 10 radars until final decision, and the announced demand is for 94 radars. Meanwhile, RTX will build 10 such radars for Poland.
Separately, Lozano emphasized the cost: it stands at $125 to $130 million per unit. Notably, this isn't too far from the previous version, which cost $110–$115 million.
"That cost will continue to come down. We’re building the newest, most advanced radar at almost the same exact price that we’re building the legacy radar," the general said.
The small-scale production phase is planned to take about two and a half years; in the meantime, initial operational testing and evaluation will take place in 2026, then one radar will be manufactured, assessed, and sent to the base on Guam, and two more will go there as well in the coming months. Full-scale production is planned for 2028.
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