Space Fence

Service And Conflict Use

1. Sep 25, 2012

   First U.S. Space Fence site announced

   The Air Force announced Kwajalein Island in the Republic of the Marshall Islands as the first U.S. Space Fence facility.

   Sources: Basing of first U.S. Space Fence facility announced

2. Jun 3, 2014

   Lockheed Martin wins the contract

   Air & Space Forces Magazine reported that the Air Force selected Lockheed Martin to build the Space Fence for a $914.7 million contract.

   Sources: Lockheed Martin Wins Space Fence Contract

3. Dec 10, 2019

   Trial period begins

   The Space Fence entered a government-led trial period after developmental and operational testing, with the article describing its solid-state S-band radar and GaN-based architecture.

   Sources: State-of-the-Art Space Fence Radar Enters Government-led Trial Period as it Nears Operational Acceptance

4. Mar 27, 2020

   Initial operational capability and acceptance

   The U.S. Space Force formally declared initial operational capability and operational acceptance of the Space Fence radar at Kwajalein Island.

   Sources: USSF announces initial operational capability and operational acceptance of Space Fence

Space Fence Images

Related Weapon Systems

Air DefenseTPY-4Ground-based multi-mission air-surveillance radarLockheed Martin's TPY-4 is a U.S. ground-based, multi-mission air-surveillance radar for the 3DELRR program. The fully digital software-defined radar can be fielded in fixed or highly mobile configurations, detects smaller and harder-to-track targets in contested RF environments, and is transportable by C-130, C-17, truck, rail, or helicopter.

Support EquipmentAIR6500 Joint Air Battle Management SystemIntegrated air and missile defence command-and-control systemAIR6500 is Australia’s Joint Air Battle Management System program, a Lockheed Martin Australia-led command-and-control architecture for integrated air and missile defence. Defence says Phase 1 provides the core IAMD architecture, with four CEA-built radars and an operator evaluation environment feeding the design.

Support EquipmentGlobal Positioning System III / GPS Block IIIMilitary navigation satellite familyGlobal Positioning System III / GPS Block III is the Lockheed Martin-built U.S. military navigation-satellite family that modernizes the GPS constellation with M-code, the L1C civil signal, improved accuracy, and stronger anti-jamming performance. It is the generation launched from 2018 onward before the GPS III Follow-On line, and it serves as a precision position, navigation, and timing space vehicle rather than a battlefield weapon in the catalog sense.

Support EquipmentiSpaceSpace situational awareness and command-and-control software suiteLockheed Martin iSpace is a U.S. space situational-awareness software suite for managing assets in orbit. Lockheed Martin says the system fuses optical, radar, infrared, and radio sensor data from government, commercial, and scientific networks to track objects, process space events, and support command-and-control and battle-management decisions for defense, international, commercial, and civil users. The German Space Agency selected iSpace for space situational awareness in 2021.

Support EquipmentMobile User Objective System (MUOS)Narrowband military satellite communications systemMUOS is a U.S. narrowband military satellite communications system built by Lockheed Martin Space for mobile forces. Its five-satellite geosynchronous constellation uses a UHF WCDMA waveform to deliver beyond-line-of-sight voice, data, and mission traffic while preserving interoperability with legacy UHF terminals.

Support EquipmentNext Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared / Next Gen OPIRMissile-warning satellite familyNext Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared (Next Gen OPIR) is the U.S. Space Force's next-generation missile-warning satellite family. Lockheed Martin is building the GEO component on an LM 2100 Combat bus, Northrop Grumman is building the polar satellites, and the program is intended to replace SBIRS with more resilient infrared sensing for ballistic, hypersonic, and counter-space threats.

Sources