MARINE CORPS C4ISR AND UNMANNED SYSTEMS
MAJOR C4ISR SYSTEMS
tical Data System to provide situational awareness and targeting
data to MAGTF commanders and is integral to their ability to provide Integrated Air and Missile Defense and counterfire operations.
G/ATOR Block 1 (GB1) provides vital Air Defense and Surveillance Capabilities for joint and Marine Corps forces across the
range of military operations. The principal mission of GB1 is to
provide expeditionary, day or night, adverse weather radar coverage and track aerial objects within the MAGTF commander’s area
of operations. GB1 advanced technology and precision tracking
enables the commander to accomplish the assigned mission and
protect the force through early warning of threat cruise missiles,
unmanned systems and aircraft. The Marine Corps will integrate
GB1 into current tactics, techniques and procedures for the detection, identification and tracking of unmanned aircraft systems,
cruise missiles and fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft.
G/ATOR Block 2 (GB2) provides GWLR capability that will
acquire threat indirect fire systems at greater range as well as
provide greater accuracy, classification and deployability to fully
support MAGTF counterfire and counterbattery missions. The
principal functions of the system will be to detect, track, classify
and accurately determine the point of origin and impact prediction of enemy projectiles. GB2’s primary mission is to locate
enemy rocket, mortar and artillery weapons and provide
acquired enemy locations in a timely manner for counterfire and
intelligence purposes. GB2’s secondary mission is to adjust or
register the fires of friendly artillery and mortar units. The system will be forward deployed and, depending on the tactical situation, may be employed in any size MAGTF, ranging from the
MEU to the MEF level.
G/ATOR Block 4 (GB4) is a future capability that will provide an expeditionary airport surveillance radar capability to the
MAGTF. (Block 3 was canceled.)
G/ATOR comprises three major subsystems: the Radar
Equipment Group (REG), Communications Equipment Group
(CEG) and Power Equipment Group (PEG). The REG is an integrated radar and trailer combination towed behind a Medium
Tactical Vehicle Replacement (MTVR). The CEG is a communications and radar control systems transported in the armored
M1152A1 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle. The PEG
is a pallet assembly containing a tactical generator, cables and
ancillary equipment transported on the bed of the MTVR.
The REG, CEG and PEG without prime movers are rapidly
deployable via helicopter/tiltrotor, KC- 130 or ground vehicles during the first stages of operations. This system can augment sea-based
air-defense sensors and C2 capabilities. G/ATOR will provide naval
and joint forces with an expeditionary radar and cruise missile
detection capability that extends landward battle space coverage.
G/ATOR’s expeditionary, multirole capabilities represent the
next generation in ground radar technology and will provide
greater range, detection and target classification against new and
evolving threats including low-observables, and better performance against enemy countermeasures, providing increased mobility, reliability and improved situational awareness with the ability
to act as the landward extension of Sea Shield, enabling Sea Strike
against deeper inland targets.
G/ATOR was approved for Milestone C production in the second quarter of fiscal 2014 and began Low-Rate Initial Production
(LRIP) in the first quarter of fiscal 2015. In October 2015,
Northrop Grumman was awarded a $58.7 million contract to
develop and test the Block 2 GWLR mode. The Marine Corps
intends to field a total of 45 units in support of Blocks 1 and 2.
CONTRACTOR: ...........Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems
MAJOR AIRBORNE SENSORS
AAQ- 28 LITENING TARGETING POD
BRIEFING: The AAQ- 28(V) Litening is an external pod initially
developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. and flown on
U.S. Marine Corps F/A- 18, AV-8B and EA-6B aircraft. The Litening
pod enables aircrews to detect, acquire, auto-track and identify targets at long ranges for weapon delivery or nontraditional ISR missions. The G4 pod includes a 1,000-pixel forward-looking infrared
sensor, 1,000-pixel charged-coupled device, laser imaging sensors
and advanced image processing, allowing aircrews to identify and
engage targets under a wide range of battlefield conditions. Litening
pods are fielded with internal data-link systems in order to seamlessly communicate with Rover grounds stations. The Marine
Corps procured more than 230 pods.
CONTRACTOR: ...........Northrop Grumman Corp.
ALQ-231 INTREPID TIGER II POD
BRIEFING: Intrepid Tiger II is a family of net-centric electronic warfare (EW) systems that is designed to increase the EW capability and
capacity available to the MAGTF while reducing dependency on
low-density/high-demand assets like the EA-6B Prowler. First
deployed in 2012 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom,
Intrepid Tiger II was designed to provide an airborne electronic
attack capability against communications targets. The pod can be
controlled from the cockpit or remotely by a ground-operator and
incorporates a rapidly reprogrammable, open architecture design
that not only provides a capability against today’s threats, but against
future targets as they emerge. A variant of the Intrepid Tiger II pod
currently is deployed with land-based F/A- 18 aircraft as well as AV-
8B aircraft deployed with MEUs. Integration on Marine Corps
rotary-wing aircraft began in fiscal 2014 with a first early operational
capability deployment during fiscal 2015 on the UH-1Y.
ADVANCED TACTICAL AIR
RECONNAISSANCE SYSTEM (ATARS)
BRIEFING: The ATARS is deployed in the Marine Corps’ F/A-
18D Hornet strike fighter. The system is mounted in the nose of
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AN/TPS- 80 GROUND/AIR TASK ORIENTED RADAR
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