Space Fence will provide the U.S. Air Force enhanced space surveillance capability to track and detect space objects. "As our nation's defense becomes increasingly more dependent on the space domain, a system like Space Fence will be a critical component in the Space Surveillance Network, tracking tens of thousands of objects daily," said David Gulla, vice president, National & Theater Security Programs for Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems (IDS). "This successful SDR and prototyping clearly demonstrates the readiness of our design to support the Air Force's needs with an affordable solution."
The SDR included the prototyping of critical system elements to demonstrate increased technical and manufacturing readiness levels. This program is a multiphase acquisition leading to the delivery of up to three globally positioned S-band radars capable of interoperation with the Space Surveillance Network. The system will ensure there is no gap in capability as the current systems in the network reach the end of their life spans.