The U.S. government notified the Foreign Affairs Committee of Congress in April of this year about the proposal to transfer an AN/TPS-70 surveillance radar to Colombia. The initiative, which stems from the monthly report of the aforementioned body, will be carried out through the facilities offered by the Excess Defense Articles (EDA) program.
According to the U.S. Congressional Report, the transfer includes the mentioned 3D AN/TPS-70 radar as well as associated equipment. The latter includes receiver, transmitter, and operation shelter materials, as well as the mounting pedestal.
Produced by Westinghouse starting in the 1980s, the AN/TPS-70 radar was designed to provide long-range, three-dimensional, highly reliable detection in a tactical environment. Some of its features include its ability to track 500 targets up to a maximum range of 440 kilometers. Its control system and consoles display range, height, and azimuth of detected aircraft (from an altitude of 0 to 100,000 feet), as well as information provided by the friend-or-foe identifier.
The U.S. previously transferred five AN/TPS-70 radars to Colombia in 2009, equipment that was part of the effort to combat drug trafficking. Over the years, the Colombian Air Force complemented the TPS-70s with more modern equipment, such as the TPS-78.
As mentioned, the potential transfer of the TPS-70 radar to Colombia would be carried out under the EDA program, an initiative through which the U.S. offers property of the Department of Defense and the Coast Guard that is no longer needed and has been declared surplus. “…This excess equipment can be offered at a reduced cost or at no cost to eligible foreign recipients on an ‘as is, where is’ basis in support of the national security and foreign policy objectives of the United States…,” details the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Illustrative cover image. Credits: NATO ACC
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