BlimpsFirst class of U.S. Army soldiers completed training with Raytheon's JLENS
JLENS uses a powerful integrated radar system to detect, track, and target a variety of threats, allowing military units to defend against threats, including hostile cruise missiles, low-flying manned and unmanned aircraft, large caliber rockets, and moving surface vehicles such as boats, SCUD-launchers, automobiles, and tanks
JLENS readies for flignt at Elizabeth City, NC // Source: raytheon.com
Combatant commanders moved one step closer to being able to detect, track, and engage threats such as swarming boats and incoming cruise missiles, around the clock, from hundreds of miles away. Raytheon says that in June 2012, the first class of U.S. Army soldiers completed mission operator training on the Raytheon’s Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System (JLENS).
“Now that the classroom studies and simulation activities are complete, these soldiers are fully prepared to begin structured, on-the-job training on the actual JLENS hardware,” said Dean Barten, the U.S. Army’s JLENS product manager.
JLENS uses a powerful integrated radar system to detect, track, and target a variety of threats. This capability enables commanders to defend against threats, including hostile cruise missiles, low-flying manned and unmanned aircraft, large caliber rockets, and moving surface vehicles such as boats, SCUD-launchers, automobiles, and tanks.
“JLENS tracks a wide range of targets at extremely long ranges providing commanders minutes to identify and respond to incoming threats instead of the handful of seconds provided by current systems,” said David Gulla, vice president of Global Integrated Sensors for Raytheon’s Integrated Defense Systems business. “JLENS could be tested abroad today to evaluate its effectiveness in defending assets critical to our national security.”
During the class, soldiers learned to use JLENS to detect and target incoming cruise missiles, and track ships, cars, trucks, and boats. They also practiced setting up the system and communicating information gleaned from JLENS sensors to U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force counterparts.
Raytheon highlights these JLENS features:
- A JLENS system, referred to as an orbit, consists of two tethered, 74-meter aerostats connected to mobile mooring stations and a communications and processing group
- The aerostats fly as high as 10,000 feet and can remain aloft and operational for up to thirty days
- One aerostat carries a surveillance radar with 360-degree surveillance capability; the other aerostat carries a fire control radar
