AN/TPS-73-a new tactical, solid-state air traffic control radar system with multi-emission capability

Abstract

The AN/TPS-73 is a mobile, completely solid-state integrated primary surveillance S-band radar and L-band monopulse secondary surveillance radar system. Housed in a single shelter for rapid deployment, the system was designed to meet the air traffic control requirements of surveillance, detection, tracking, and identification in an adverse clutter and electronic countermeasures environment. The full band pulse-to-pulse frequency agility transmission of low-peak-power-coded waveforms provides the quiet radar characteristics necessary for survivability, while simultaneously maintaining high target visibility throughout the surveillance volume. An adaptive refinement to moving target detection, coupled with the high system stability, enables automatic and effective suppression of time and spatial varying clutter. Five thousand hours for the mean-time between critical failure is achieved in a cost-effective manner by a combination of fail-soft and standby redundant elements, ensuring high system availability in a sustained hostile environment.<>