AN/ZPY-1

<p>The <a href="/facts/Northrop_Grumman/M6keKE1A">Northrop Grumman</a> AN/ZPY-1 STARLite Small Tactical Radar - Lightweight is a small, lightweight <a href="/facts/Synthetic_aperture_radar/MJbDGvTh">synthetic aperture radar</a>/<a href="/facts/GMTI/EUo8tCMd">GMTI</a> <a href="/facts/Radar/jk9BTbFA">radar</a> used in tactical operations. The radar is under contract to the U.S. Army Communications and Electronics Command for its <a href="/facts/ERMP/Kcyru1qQ">ERMP</a> <a href="/facts/General_Atomics_MQ-1C_Gray_Eagle/r7CuV8fG">General Atomics MQ-1C Gray Eagle</a> <a href="/facts/Unmanned_Aerial_System/qt87T19t">Unmanned Aerial System</a> and is manufactured by <a href="/facts/Northrop_Grumman/M6keKE1A">Northrop Grumman</a>.  STARLite weighs 65 lb (29 kg)., occupies 1.2 cubic feet (34 L), and requires less than 750 W of power. The Army began to take delivery of the system in 2010. Also in 2010 the system was ready for deployment to the battlefield.
</p><p>From the first orders in 2008 to October 2012, Northrop Grumman delivered half of the 174 radars ordered. Eighteen of the radars on order are a lighter, extended-range version. Weight was reduced by combining the radar power supply and processor and incorporating a Systron Donner inertial system. The new system weights 45 lb (20 kg). The <a href="/facts/Patch_antenna/LgISbg5B">patch antenna</a> was replaced with a <a href="/facts/Slot_antenna/uQqNU3te">slot antenna</a>, doubling its range to 10 mi (16 km). The original STARLite radar is used on the MQ-1C Gray Eagle and the <a href="/facts/Lockheed_Martin/URp9BQpA">Lockheed Martin</a> Persistent Threat Detection System (PTDS) <a href="/facts/Aerostat/oFet21NW">aerostat</a>. The company is proposing the lighter version for integration onto small UAVs, including the <a href="/facts/RQ-7_Shadow/aswmdkoE">RQ-7B Shadow</a>, the <a href="/facts/Northrop_Grumman_MQ-8C_Fire-X/RxP9R0fn">MQ-8C Fire Scout</a>, and the TigerShark UAS. Other potential customers include the <a href="/facts/Department_of_Homeland_Security/jwz5gLfa">Department of Homeland Security</a>, which flies the <a href="/facts/MQ-1_Predator/2dfhyuDC">MQ-1 Predator</a> and <a href="/facts/MQ-9_Reaper/tjw5DSUk">MQ-9 Guardian</a>, and <a href="/facts/NATO/dCeTddMY">NATO</a> countries. The active electronically scanned radar is mounted on a rotating mechanical <a href="/facts/Gimbal/FI8hEuss">gimbal</a> with a 360 degree field of regard, although the antenna itself has a 110 degree field of view. In addition to SAR/GMTI, it has a dismount moving target indicator mode that can track a person walking on the ground from a range of 4.3 nmi (8.0 km; 4.9 mi).
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AN/ZPY-1 open-in-new

AN/ZPY-1