LRDR completes critical design review

The Missile Defense Agency's Long Range Discrimination Radar program completed its critical design review in September, according to a statement issued today by contractor Lockheed Martin.

The LRDR is a nearly $1 billion project to emplace a new radar in Alaska by 2020 as part of the agency's plans to upgrade the GMD program to what it calls the Robust Homeland Defense configuration by providing an improved persistent view of long-range ballistic missiles -- particularly those launched from North Korea -- during the midcourse of flight.

MDA approved Lockheed's preliminary design for the LRDR system in April.

"Successfully executing CDR validates that the LRDR system is ready to proceed into fabrication, demonstration, and test and that the hardware and software component have achieved Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 7 and Manufacturing Readiness Level 7," the company said today.

Following completion of the critical design review, the program began low-rate manufacturing in October. Full-rate manufacturing is slated for mid-2018, according to Lockheed.

The company "will be utilizing production hardware in combination with prototype systems, tactical back-end processing equipment as well as tactical software to demonstrate system performance in an operational environment to achieve system [Technology Readiness Level] 7. Lockheed Martin will be performing a series of tests in the Solid State Radar Integration Site (SSRIS) including a closed loop satellite track test," the statement reads.

MDA awarded a $784 million contract to Lockheed in 2015 to develop, build and test LRDR, and the company said it is on track to deliver the radar to Clear, AK, in 2020.

In related news, Lockheed Martin said it conducted a facilities design review in October for the LRDR equipment shelter design. The company "will run a full and open competition for the construction of the equipment shelter in Clear, Alaska and will begin construction of the shelter in the first half of 2019," the statement reads. "The MDA team is preparing the site for Radar System Installation and checkout mobilization, constructing the Mission Control Facility and starting the foundation for the LRDR equipment shelter."