The Prime Minister Juhan Parts said in his opening speech: “The Kellavere radar marks a new step in the Estonian air surveillance development. As of today Estonia is not only the “security consumer”, but is more and more part of the solid European - and very soon the North-Eastern NATO-border security system”.
The Minister of Defence Margus Hanson thanked the Finnish and Danish experts whose advise and expertise kept in mind the reaching of the best for Estonia results.
“We can say that as of today we have an overview what is the present state of air security in Estonia. Nevertheless, the opening of the long-range radar in Kellavere is only the next of many steps in developing the air surveillance capabilities”, Hanson said.
TPS-117 radar will expand the range of BALTNET, the joint air surveillance network that monitors the airspace over and around the Baltic states of Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia. Under a separate contract, Lockheed Martin also will provide a TPS-117 radar system to Latvia, which will be installed by the end of August. The radars will enable the Baltic states to meet requirements for entry into NATO, consistent with invitations extended in November 2002.
“This radar represents the backbone of our surveillance capabilities, both for air sovereignty and air traffic control,” said Mihkel Tammet, Ministry of Defense program manager for the radar system. “It will help us fulfill our obligations to become a full and active member of NATO.”
Paul Kim, Lockheed Martin\'s Estonia/Latvia radar program manager, said delivery and installation of the radars ran smoothly because of a strong working relationship with the Estonian Ministry of Defense. “Our Lockheed Martin team has had tremendous support from the customer, whose personnel are well trained and highly knowledgeable about radars,” Kim said.
The TPS-117, which was designated the AN/TPS-77 in October 2001, shares 90 percent commonality with the larger AN/FPS-117, the most-widely used long-range radar system in the world, deployed in 20 countries. The TPS-117 is designed for transportability and frequent redeployment, if required. Upon arrival at a site, an eight-person team can set up and begin operating the system in about 60 minutes. The antenna and electronics shelter can be transported on two trucks, or in two C-130 aircraft.
Lockheed Martin NE&SS-Radar Systems is a leader in the design, development and integration of radar systems, vessel traffic management, simulation and training systems, and other complex electronic systems. It serves customers including all branches of the U.S. armed forces, the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Departments of Commerce, Transportation and State, and defense and transportation departments of countries on six continents. NE&SS-Radar Systems employs approximately 2,300 people at its Syracuse, N.Y., headquarters and is a unit of Lockheed Martin Corporation. Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global enterprise principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture and integration of advanced technology systems products and services.