Jacobs completes test of KeyRadar in AgilePod with AFLCMC

Jacobs has completed the test campaign of a new version of its KeyRadar product in an aerial system pod called AgilePod.

Flight testing for the certification of KeyRadar in AgilePod was carried out with the US Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC).

Jacobs’ KeyRadar in AgilePod has received an airworthiness certification from the AFLCMC for flight testing on commercially operated aircraft under the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airworthiness criteria.

During the flight campaign, the radar was arranged in a pod system to comply with the standards of Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) and Sensor Open Systems Architecture (SOSA).

The radar and pod were tested in an unpressurised environment with temperatures alternating between extremely warm and cold.

They were assessed against technical, performance and environment specifications.

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This marks the end of the technical maturation phase for the AFLCMC, a project to integrate KeyRadar into an aerial system pod.

The programme also aims to showcase its intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), and target detection / recognition capabilities.

Jacobs Critical Mission Solutions senior vice-president Steve Arnette said: “The integration of KeyRadar into an aerial system pod brings unique capabilities for ISR and time-critical detection / recognition applications.

“The completion of this flight campaign and certification represents a successful collaboration between our newly integrated team since acquiring KeyW and our partnership with the airforce in delivering advanced technical solutions to the intelligence mission.”

KeyRadar has been developed based on a software-defined radio-radar architecture and brings together several bands with complex processing and detection / recognition software to find hidden targets under difficult operating conditions.

The modular, open architecture of the Jacobs system enables users to quickly incorporate new features into the operating system, which reduces the total lifecycle cost.