Asian Military Review — May 2017

(^06) | AsiAn MilitAry review |
The US Army has enhanced the defences of the Korean Peninsula with the
deployment of an AN/TPY-2 radar, while new deliveries of Elbit tactical radios are
revealed, and new wide-body aircraft self-protection systems enter the market place.
Radar
As of early March, the US Army commenced the deployment of
its Raytheon AN/TPY-2 X-band (8.5-10.68 gigahertz/GHz) ground-
based air surveillance radar as part of a larger deployment
of a Lockheed Martin Terminal High Altitude Area Defence
by Thomas Withington
surface-to-air missile battery.
Advanced elements of the
battery arrived at Osan
airbase, on the western
coast of the Republic of
Korea (ROK) on 6th March,
according to local media
reports.
The deployment was in
response to the launch of
four ballistic missiles from
the Democratic Republic of
Korea’s (DPRK) Tongch’ang-
dong Space Launch Centre
on the western coast of the
DPRK. Some of the missiles
were reported to have flown
for circa 533 nautical miles/
nm (987 kilometres/km)
before falling into the Sea of
Japan. The AN/TPY-2 radar
accompanying the THAAD
battery was reported to
have arrived at Osan airbase
on 16th March. Additional press reports stated that the entire
THAAD battery is expected to be declared as operational in June.
Open sources note that the radar can operate in a so-called TM
(Terminal Mode) by which it provides fire control information
for the THAAD battery, meanwhile the radar’s FBM (Fixed
The US Army has
deployed an AN/
TPY-2 ground-based
air surveillance
radar to the ROK
following a series of
ballistic missile tests
performed in March
by the DPRK.
US Army