Safran Federal Systems has been selected to provide critical navigation technology for the U.S. Army’s Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor (LTAMDS), a next-generation radar system developed by Raytheon to replace the aging Patriot radar. The French-American firm will supply its advanced GNSS-denied inertial navigation systems to ensure continuity of operations in contested environments.
LTAMDS: The Next-Generation Radar for Integrated Air and Missile Defense
The LTAMDS is a key component of the U.S. Army’s modernization strategy under the Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) framework. Developed by Raytheon Missiles & Defense (a business of RTX), LTAMDS is designed to replace the legacy AN/MPQ-65 radar used with the Patriot system. Unlike its predecessor, LTAMDS features a 360-degree active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar using gallium nitride (GaN) technology for enhanced sensitivity and range.
The system is intended to detect and track advanced threats including hypersonic glide vehicles, cruise missiles, fifth-generation aircraft, UAVs, and ballistic missiles. It integrates with IBCS (Integrated Battle Command System), enabling sensor-fusion from multiple platforms across domains. The first LTAMDS radars are expected to be fielded by the U.S. Army in FY2024 following successful developmental testing at White Sands Missile Range.
Safran’s Role: Enabling Resilient Positioning in GPS-Denied Environments
Safran Federal Systems will supply its Geonyx™ M inertial navigation system—a high-performance inertial measurement unit (IMU) based on hemispherical resonator gyroscope (HRG) technology. This system provides precision positioning and orientation data even when Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals are unavailable or degraded due to jamming or spoofing—an increasingly common threat in modern electronic warfare environments.
The Geonyx™ M is already proven in multiple NATO ground vehicle and artillery applications. Its integration into LTAMDS ensures that the radar can maintain accurate geolocation data for cueing interceptors or sharing target tracks via IBCS even under denied or degraded conditions.
- Technology: Hemispherical Resonator Gyroscope (HRG)
- Performance: Tactical-grade IMU with sub-degree heading accuracy
- Use Case: GNSS-denied operations for mobile ground-based sensors
Raytheon’s Integration Strategy and System Architecture
The selection of Safran aligns with Raytheon’s modular open systems approach (MOSA) for LTAMDS development. The radar includes three antenna arrays—one primary front-facing array and two rear-side arrays—to achieve full azimuth coverage without mechanical rotation. Each array operates independently but shares timing and positioning data through a centralized C2 node connected via IBCS protocols.
This architecture requires precise time synchronization across arrays—something inertial navigation systems like Safran’s Geonyx™ M can help facilitate when GNSS signals are unavailable or unreliable due to adversarial activity or terrain masking.
Raytheon has emphasized supplier diversity and resilience as part of its industrial strategy for LTAMDS. In addition to Safran, key subcontractors include KBR Wyle Labs (test support), Honeywell Aerospace (power systems), and Mercury Systems (RF components).
Operational Implications: Countering Peer Threats with Sensor Resilience
The inclusion of hardened PNT solutions like Safran’s Geonyx™ M underscores a growing recognition within U.S. defense circles that peer adversaries such as China and Russia are capable of executing sophisticated electronic warfare operations—including GNSS denial over wide areas using jamming or spoofing techniques.
A radar like LTAMDS must retain functionality even when disconnected from space-based navigation systems. This is especially critical during expeditionary deployments or in Indo-Pacific scenarios where satellite access may be contested due to anti-satellite weapons or cyber interference targeting satellite control networks.
By ensuring that each deployed sensor node can operate autonomously with trusted inertial reference data, the U.S. Army enhances survivability, redundancy, and continuity of operations across distributed IAMD formations.
Status of Fielding and Future Outlook
The first six production-representative LTAMDS units were delivered by Raytheon to the U.S. Army in late 2023 under an OTA agreement managed by the Rapid Capabilities & Critical Technologies Office (RCCTO). These radars are undergoing operational testing prior to initial fielding with air defense artillery units equipped with PAC-3 MSE interceptors integrated via IBCS.
Looking ahead, foreign military sales opportunities are being explored with Poland—already acquiring IBCS—and other Patriot operators seeking improved sensor performance against emerging threats like maneuverable hypersonics or low-RCS drones flying nap-of-the-earth profiles.
If successful in operational evaluations, Safran’s navigation solution may become a standard component not only for U.S.-deployed radars but also international variants of LTAMDS exported through FMS channels.
Conclusion: Strategic Alignment Between Industry Partners
The partnership between Raytheon Missiles & Defense and Safran Federal Systems reflects broader trends toward resilient sensor architectures capable of operating in contested multi-domain environments. As adversaries invest heavily in EW capabilities designed to blind Western ISR assets or disrupt C4ISR networks, solutions like HRG-based inertial navigation offer a path toward autonomy under duress.
The integration of these technologies into flagship modernization programs like LTAMDS illustrates how layered defense must begin at the sensor level—with robust PNT assurance forming a foundational pillar alongside kinetic interceptors and networked command systems.
