PM Imran, Air Chief discuss professional matters of air defence

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday hailed the efforts of the Pakistan Air Force in maintaining peace in the country.

The premier held a meeting with Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmad Babar in Islamabad, the Prime Minister office (PMO) said in a statement.

The statement added that both the dignitaries discussed professional matters pertaining to the air defence of the country.

Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmad Babar called on Prime Minister @ImranKhanPTI.

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Professional matters pertaining to air defence of the country were discussed in the meeting. pic.twitter.com/TH5DIutiBF

— Prime Minister's Office, Pakistan (@PakPMO) January 12, 2022

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In December last year, the Pakistan Air Force has upgraded its surveillance system with two additional components. TPS-77 MRR and YLC-18A are the names of the latest radar systems, which will help in enhancing the operations and monitoring of the skies.

The TPS-77 MRR is a long-range, ground-based air search radar developed by Lockheed Martin in the United States. It is believed to have a range of up to 500 kilometres, with ABT detection at 300 kilometres for a normal fighter aircraft.

GaN technology and LPI features are used in the design, allowing the radars to remain undetected. This means that the adversary aircraft’s radar warning receiver (RWR) systems will not be triggered.

The high-performance radar is simple to install on cars, making it ideal for transportation. A C-130 truck, a helicopter, or a rail can transport the radar.

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TPS-77 radars are the world’s only radars that are capable of covering valleys and detecting long-range threats.

The Pakistan Air Force this year successfully deployed two new radar systems to enhance air defence monitoring in the region. These include the Lockheed Martin TPS-77 MRR and the YLC-18A.
The TPS-77 MRR is an long range, ground based, GaN based L-band 3D AESA air search radar pic.twitter.com/w5G4BoCmYX

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— AEROSINT Division PSF (@PSFAERO) November 28, 2021

Through this Pakistan will be able to prevent drug traffickers from readily crossing its borders from neighbouring countries such as Afghanistan.

The YLC-18A is a ground-based L-band 3D AESA low-level gap filler air search radar with a large range. The radar is developed by the Nanjing Research Institute of Electronics Technology from China. In heavy ECM settings, it aids in the detection of stealth targets.

It may simply raise the antenna in a matter of seconds and also help to counter stealth targets in heavy ECM environments. The YLC-18A can also perform a high-speed 360-degree rotation to detect targets at low to medium altitudes.