Lockheed delivers first batch of Sentinel A4

Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control has delivered the first five Sentinel A4 radars to the Army, according to a June 8 press release from the company.

The Army received the radars on May 26, according to the press release. With this delivery, the program remains months ahead of schedule.

“Our team understands the criticality of this technology and the need to get it fielded,” Mark Mekker, director of Army radars at Lockheed, said in the press release.

Operational testing will begin after the delivery, and it is scheduled to last eight to 12 months, Mekker told reporters in April.

Next year, Lockheed plans to deliver another set of five radars, which the Army purchased through an accelerated contract last October. Those systems will be delivered to a operational units for a user evaluation.

Lockheed beat Raytheon, the original Sentinel manufacturer, in a 2019 competition build the A4 model, which brings additional capabilities to track low-flying aircraft, cruise missiles and drones.

The Army listed Sentinel -- both the A4 and older versions -- as one of the key enablers last year to its modernization program, in which air and missile defense is a priority line of effort. The radar is expected to support Increment 2 of the Indirect Fire Protection Capability, as well as other short-range air defenses.