Northrop Grumman Expanding STARLite Radar Capabilities

By RICHARD R. BURGESS, Managing Editor

Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems (NGES), Baltimore, is developing upgrades to the ZPY-1 Small Tactical Advance Radar Lite (STARLite), a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) being built for the Army’s RQ-1C Gray Eagle (also known as the General Atomics Sky Warrior) unmanned aerial system (UAS). The developments could enhance the Gray Eagle’s capabilities in counter-insurgency efforts in theaters such as Afghanistan and Iraq.

STARLite is a Ku-band SAR with moving target indication (MTI) capability to detect vehicles on the move. The system is used for wide-area search and to image ground targets, and is capable of spot or strip mapping. The MTI capability can be used to cue the platform’s electro-optical/infrared sensor to zero in on a target of interest. Imagery from the system is transmitted by a data link to a ground station. The system weighs approximately 65 pounds and uses an 8-inch aperture.

Demonstrations have shown that STARLite can detect people dismounting from a vehicle, Mike Pefley, director of business development and strategic planning for NGES, said during a briefing at the Navy League's 2010 Sea-Air-Space Exposition at Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center. The company is pursuing further refinement of that capability, he said.

NGES is engaged in reducing STARLite's weight to about 45 pounds to make it available for use in smaller UASs such as the RQ-7B Shadow 200 used by the Army and Marine Corps. The company also is looking to double the size of the radar aperture to expand its range and sensitivity.

STARLite’s capabilities show promise in roles such as detecting illegal border crossings by people on the ground or from low-altitude aircraft such as ultralights, Pefley said.

Deliveries of STARLite began in October. Development and limited user testing to allow full-scale production was finalized on April 15. The next day, NGES received an order for 40 STARLite systems for the Army, U.S. Special Operations Command and other unnamed customers.