Product Type: |
Missile Defense Radar System |
Using Service (US): |
Army |
Program Status: |
In 3-year trial at Aberdeen Proving Ground. |
Prime Contractor: |
Raytheon Technologies |
The Joint Land attack cruise missile defense Elevated
Netted Sensor (JLENS) system is a missile defense radar system (manufactured by Raytheon), which provides persistent
Over-The-Horizon (OTH) surveillance. The primary mission of JLENS is to protect against anti-ship cruise missiles, aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles,
high-speed "swarming" boats, and mine laying ships. The system is a critical part of the U.S. Army's future Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) architecture.
JLENS will provide fire control data to surface-to-air missile systems such as THAAD, the Army's Patriot and the Navy's AEGIS BMD
Combat System, thus increasing the capabilities of these systems by allowing them to engage targets below, outside or beyond
the field of view of surface-based weapons. Additionally, JLENS provides fire control data to fighter aircraft allowing
them to engage enemy threats from extended ranges. As a secondary role, JLENS detects and tracks surface moving targets.
A JLENS Orbit is comprised of two systems: a Fire Control Radar (FCR) system
and a Surveillance Radar system. Each system is comprised of a 74-meter helium-filled, tethered aerostat,
a Mobile Mooring Station (MMS), a Communications and Processing Group (CPG), and associated Ground Support Equipment (GSE).
The JLENS aerostats are designed to fly at altitudes of up to 10,000 feet (3,000 m). JLENS can stay aloft for up to 30 days
providing 24-hour radar coverage of the assigned area enabling the only elevated, persistent, long-range surveillance and fire control sensor
capability.
JLENS is a very affordable and cost-efficient system. According to research conducted by the Army's JLENS product office,
the cost of operating large fixed-wing surveillance aircraft is 5-7 times greater than the cost of operating JLENS.
JLENS provides the same 24-hour coverage that it would take four or five fixed-wing surveillance aircraft
(E-3 Sentry AWACS, E-8C JSTARS or E-2C/D Adv. Hawkeye) to provide.
The 74-meter aerostats are developed and produced by TCOM LP in Columbia, Maryland. Easily deployed (72 hours emplacement or displacement),
the aerostats provide high-altitude continuous coverage for surveillance and communications to be quickly established and coordinated
over long distances. The aerostat has a length of 74 meters and a hull volume of 19,000 cubic meters.
JLENS was initially based at the Utah Test and Training Range near Salt Lake City.
The first flight demonstration was successfully conducted on August 25, 2009.
In February 2011, Raytheon reported that JLENS had successfully demonstrated the ability to transmit from an elevated aerostat.
In April 2011, JLENS has successfully demonstrated the ability to track targets of interest and, in July 2011, JLENS completed a successful endurance test.
In June 2012, a series of tests demonstrated that JLENS is capable of detecting and tracking multiple high-speed "swarming" boats from hundreds of miles away.
In September 2012, during a joint Army and Navy test, a JLENS fire-control radar acquired and tracked a surrogate anti-ship cruise missile target.
The tracking information was passed to sailors via the Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC) sensor-netting system.
The sailors then fired a Standard Missile SM-6 at the target. Initial SM-6 guidance used targeting information provided by
the JLENS via CEC to the AEGIS BMD combat system until the missile's onboard radar was able to acquire and track the target.
A major test for JLENS is currently taking place at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland, where the system participates in a long-term trial
watching over Washington, D.C. for three years. The first JLENS aerostat joined the trial on December 27, 2014.
The second aerostat went aloft on August 19, 2015.
JLENS suffered an incident on October 28, 2015, where one of the aerostats broke free in Maryland and floated into Pennsylvania,
dragging its mooring line and causing several power outages before it landed in a field.
Following the incident, the Army military decided that JLENS should continue its operational exercise
because of the unique cruise missile defense capability it provides.
None.
JLENS provides elevated persistent Over-The-Horizon (OTH) surveillance using its advanced sensor and networking technologies to provide 360-degree wide-area surveillance. The sectored precision tracking provides protection for U.S. forces, allies, and coalition forces, as well as critical geo-political assets primarily from cruise missiles, aircraft, and unmanned aerial vehicles; secondarily from tactical ballistic missiles and large caliber rockets in the boost-phase; and tertiary situational awareness of surface moving targets.
This data is available in Forecast International's U.S. Defense Budget Forecast, a comprehensive analytical database containing historical and forecast budget figures, year-to-year funding comparisons, congressional budget markups, program justification documents, and much more.
Sources Used: U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and Raytheon Company.
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