SSR’s new AN/SPS-78 radar system set sail this summer aboard the USCGC CAMPBELL. The USCGC
CAMPBELL sailed from its homeport of Portsmouth, NH to New York City as part of
the Fleet Week celebration with the Coast Guard’s new Surface
Search/Navigational radar.
In September of 2013, SSR Engineering was
awarded a US Coast Guard contract to provide a Surface Search/Navigation Radar
System solution. The AN/SPS-78 was developed to replace the aging AN/SPS-73
systems aboard the ‘270 and ‘210 Medium Endurance Cutters. Successfully tested
and evaluated aboard the USCGC CAMPBELL and USCGC DECISIVE, the AN/SPS-78 is now
in full production. The AN/SPS-78 provides logistics commonality to the SSR
radar processors already installed on both the National Security Cutters and
Fast Response Cutters.
The AN/SPS-78 is a modern COTS based solution
that addresses reliability and obsolesce issues of the AN/SPS-73. It is a high
performance radar processing and tracking system that bridges the gap between
commercial IMO requirements and tactical mission capabilities required by Coast
Guards and Navies. The AN/SPS-78 is fully integrated with the US Coast Guard’s
tactical, Seawatch command and control system.
The contract was awarded
in September 2013. SSR’s First Article Test system was delivered in December
2013 and prototype system was installed on the USCGC CAMPBELL in April 2014.
SSR received the full production order in September 2014. Contract signing to
full production took less than a year. Current users aboard USCGC CAMPBELL and
USCGC DECISIVE report high satisfaction due to the AN/SPS-78’s reliability and
performance.