Lockheed Martin has delivered the first Sentinel A4 radar system from its second Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP 2) contract to the U.S. Army. This delivery coincides with the successful completion of the first phase of Initial Operational Test and Evaluation (IOT&E), accelerating the program’s critical path toward a Full-Rate Production (FRP) decision.
The Sentinel A4 is the Army’s next-generation air and missile defense radar, designed to replace the legacy Sentinel A3. Its modern 360-degree Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) provides superior battlespace awareness and is engineered to defeat evolving threats, including advanced cruise missiles, unmanned aerial systems (UAS), and both rotary and fixed-wing aircraft in complex, contested environments.
“This delivery is a major milestone in getting next-generation radar capability to the warfighter to address the threats of today and tomorrow,” said Rick Cordaro, vice president of Lockheed Martin’s Radar and Sensor Systems. “Sentinel A4 expands battlespace awareness and improves layered defense.”
The recent IOT&E Phase I validated a core strength of the system: its open-architecture design. During testing, the Sentinel A4 successfully integrated with the Army’s Forward Area Air Defense Command and Control (FAAD-C2) system, demonstrating essential interoperability across multiple networks. This ensures the radar can seamlessly plug into the Army’s integrated air defense mosaic, sharing critical data to protect maneuver forces.
The delivery is the first of 19 systems under the LRIP 2 contract. These units are directly supporting the Army’s fielding plan and ongoing operational testing. As systems are deployed to units, soldiers will use them to refine tactics and validate performance in realistic operational settings, ensuring the radar is ready for worldwide deployment.
The Sentinel A4 program leverages Lockheed Martin’s extensive legacy in advanced radar solutions. The company’s systems are known for high reliability and commonality across platforms, often packaged in mobile configurations for rapid deployment to any environment. The progression from LRIP deliveries through operational testing is a structured approach to ensure the Sentinel A4 meets all soldier requirements before transitioning to full-rate production and broader fielding across the Army.
