SCHUMER ANNOUNCES OVER $324 MILLION IN FEDERAL FUNDS FOR LOCKHEED MARTIN SALINA’S HIGH-TECH ARMY RADAR SYSTEM IS INCLUDED IN JUST-PASSED, BI-PARTISAN SENATE DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS BILL
Funding Will Keep Radar Production Programs On Track & Maintain Salina Jobs – Bill Includes $324.6 Million For Continued Production Of Key Counterfire Radar, Produced By Lockheed Martin In Salina
Schumer: This Investment Will Keep Lockheed Martin Salina At The Forefront Of Radar Technology, Protect U.S. Military Personnel Overseas & Support Local Jobs
U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer today announced that the just-passed, bi-partisan Senate Fiscal Year 2019 Defense Appropriations bill, which is expected to be passed by the House in the coming weeks, includes $324.6 million for a key Army radar system developed and manufactured by teams at the Lockheed Martin Salina plant. The system – the AN/TPQ-53 radar – is a transportable radar mounted on the back of a truck that is used by the U.S. Army to detect and collect crucial information on mortars, rockets, and artillery in any direction. The appropriations bill passed by the Senate includes $160.6 million in regular Army funding, and an additional $164.0 in Overseas Contingency Operations funding, for the AN/TPQ-53.
“This vital and significant federal investment enables the world-class workforce at Lockheed Martin to produce cutting-edge radar that protects our troops in the battlefield and also drives the Central New York economy. The inclusion of this funding in the just-passed bi-partisan defense appropriations bill will give Lockheed’s Salina plant the resources to continue moving these high-tech counterfire radars down the assembly line,” said Senator Schumer. “I am proud of the role I played in securing this critical federal funding, and will always fight for investments that both keep good-paying jobs in Central New York and keep our military service members around the world safe.”
The AN/TPQ-53 radar system was developed by Lockheed Martin engineers at the Salina facility and is a major production program at the plant. It is a more mobile counterfire radar system when compared to previous models and detects, tracks and determines the location of enemy indirect fire. It allows U.S. forces to defend a 360-degree area from enemy mortars, rockets, and artillery. The AN/TPQ-53 system has been successfully deployed by the Army in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2010. To date, the Salina workforce has built and delivered 105 systems to the Army.
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