Low-rate production deliveries of Sentinel A4 set to begin in FY-25

Prime contractor Lockheed Martin has thus far delivered 10 Sentinel A4 radar systems to the Army. And the company expects to begin deliveries of 19 systems in fiscal year 2025 under a low-rate initial production contract, Lockheed executives told Inside Defense today on the showroom floor of the Association of the U.S. Army conference.

The 10 radars delivered to the Army already have been undergoing testing for the past year, and the tests are expected to continue for the next year, according to Chandra Marshall, the company’s vice president for radar and sensor systems.

Marshall and David Kenneweg, Lockheed’s program director for Army radars, noted the Army is in the process of trying to integrate the Sentinel A4 into the Integrated Battle Command System throughout testing. Additionally, the radar system has been identified by the government as part of the architecture for the planned Guam defense system.

Lockheed is also looking to expand the role of its Q-53 radar, which was initially fielded by the Army more than a decade ago for counterfire operations during the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. The company has delivered an extended range version of the Q-53 to the Army, and lately has been focused on pivoting toward a counter UAS mission for the radar.

Kenneweg noted the counter UAS capability of the Q-53 was showcased during the Desert Guardian exercise, hosted by U.S. Central Command Sept. 30 through Oct. 4 at Ft. Drum, NY.

Marshall said while “clearly the mission for Q-53 was not counter UAS from the beginning,” the radar has demonstrated it is capable of performing that mission.