Home Air UK Royal Air Force receives new deployable long-range radar

UK Royal Air Force receives new deployable long-range radar

Lanza Long Tactical Range 25 (LTR25) radar arriving in the UK
Photo: UK defense ministry

The UK Royal Air Force has taken delivery of the Lanza Long Tactical Range 25 radar for the Battlespace Management Force that supports tactical air command and control of UK air policing and air counter-terrorism operations.

Due to its small number of components, this system can be rapidly deployed worldwide using in-service military vehicles and transport aircraft such as the C130. The radar can be deployed in support of worldwide operations or used to cover gaps in coverage on home shores.

The radar was delivered by the Spanish defense contractor Indra under a £13.1 million contract from 2019.

“By adopting a collegiate approach and working through the issues together the project continues to make steady progress”

The radar will be used mainly for long range surveillance of cooperative (secondary surveillance) and non-cooperative aircraft. The flexibility of the system means that the RAF will be able to carry out a variety of battlespace management missions, including long and short term deployments worldwide, as well as gap-filling in the UK in response to national operational requirements.

The radar also benefits from being highly capable of mitigating the effect of windfarms and can rotate at two different speeds providing an Air Traffic Radar Service mode long desired by the RAF.

Now the radar has arrived in the UK it will undergo extensive trials and is due to be accepted into service with the RAF by mid-2021.

“This is one of the first major procurements by the MOD with Indra as a prime contractor, and certainly a first for ADEWS,” DE&S Air Defence and Electronic Warfare Systems (ADEWS) team leader David Braun said. “Having never previously worked together, a great deal of effort has been put in to managing the new relationship and expectations on both sides. By adopting a collegiate approach and working through the issues together the project continues to make steady progress.”

Photo: Indra