Sweden becomes third nation to adopt U.S. Lockheed Martin TPY-4 fifth generation air surveillance radar
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On June 4, 2025, U.S. company Lockheed Martin announced that the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration has selected the Lockheed Martin TPY-4 next-generation ground-based air surveillance radar to enhance the country’s long-range surveillance capability, making Sweden the third nation to adopt this fifth-generation radar platform.Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
U.S. Lockheed Martin TPY-4 radar selected by Sweden to boost national and NATO air surveillance capabilities. (Picture source: Lockheed Martin with editing of Army Recognition Group)
The decision represents a strategic move by Sweden to bolster its airspace awareness and operational readiness as it deepens integration with NATO’s collective defense framework. Lockheed Martin will begin delivering the first TPY-4 radar systems in 2027 to support the Swedish Air Force’s national defense requirements. These advanced systems will be deployed to strengthen early warning capabilities and provide superior situational awareness in the face of increasingly complex aerial threats.
The TPY-4 radar is designed with a fully digital, software-defined architecture that allows it to adapt to emerging threats while operating in congested and contested electromagnetic environments. Its solid-state, active electronically scanned array (AESA) offers high reliability, rapid beam agility, and long-range detection of fast-moving targets such as cruise missiles, stealth aircraft, and drones. With real-time tracking and classification functions, it significantly increases the effectiveness of command and control decisions in critical moments.
Sweden’s selection also underscores the radar’s modular, open-systems design that ensures seamless integration into both national and NATO-integrated air and missile defense networks. This interoperability is essential for joint operations and aligns with Sweden’s expanding defense cooperation posture following its accession to NATO. The TPY-4 will serve as a key enabler of regional security, supporting shared situational awareness and coordinated responses across allied air defense systems.
The TPY-4 radar sets itself apart through several core features that enhance its operational relevance in today’s multi-domain battlespace. Its AESA technology provides persistent 360° coverage with unmatched precision and low latency, detecting threats at greater distances and with higher resolution than many legacy radars. The radar’s advanced beamforming capability allows for simultaneous tracking of hundreds of air targets, including low radar cross-section threats, while maintaining high resistance to jamming and electronic attack. Additionally, its digital back-end enables on-the-fly software upgrades and algorithmic enhancements without hardware modification, allowing the system to evolve with new mission requirements over time.
In terms of key technical performance, the TPY-4 can detect and track airborne targets at distances exceeding 500 km, depending on target size and altitude. It offers detection capabilities from very low altitudes, below 30 m AGL (Above Ground Level), up to high-altitude targets operating at over 30,000 m AMSL (Above Mean Sea Level), covering the entire vertical battlespace from terrain-following cruise missiles to near-space surveillance platforms. The radar provides full azimuth surveillance with automatic target recognition and classification, enabling distinction between fast jets, rotary-wing aircraft, UAVs, and missile trajectories with high fidelity. Its fast refresh rate and wide elevation scan ensure uninterrupted airspace monitoring under all weather and electronic warfare conditions.
In combat scenarios, the TPY-4 functions effectively as a primary long-range early warning radar or as a high-tier node in an integrated air and missile defense (IAMD) network. It can supply precision tracking data to surface-to-air missile systems and air defense command centers, enabling coordinated, real-time threat neutralization. Its mobility configurations, available as fixed-site systems or transportable units on tactical trailers, provide flexible deployment options for both static national defense and forward-operating missions.
Compared to equivalent systems in the European market such as the Thales Ground Master 400 Alpha or Saab Giraffe 4A, the TPY-4 offers superior long-range detection, wider vertical coverage, and next-generation digital processing. While the GM400 Alpha is appreciated for its mobility and deployment speed, and the Giraffe 4A for its versatile multi-role functionality, the TPY-4 outperforms both in terms of strategic-range surveillance, altitude reach, and adaptive electronic counter-countermeasures (ECCM). It is purpose-built to counter stealth, hypersonic, and saturation attack profiles with layered waveform control and resilient tracking continuity.
With its selection by Sweden, the TPY-4 is solidifying its reputation as a future-proof radar system capable of addressing next-generation aerial threats. Its strategic capabilities, seamless interoperability, and combat-tested engineering position it as a central component in NATO-aligned airspace defense operations well into the 2030s and beyond.
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On June 4, 2025, U.S. company Lockheed Martin announced that the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration has selected the Lockheed Martin TPY-4 next-generation ground-based air surveillance radar to enhance the country’s long-range surveillance capability, making Sweden the third nation to adopt this fifth-generation radar platform.
Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
U.S. Lockheed Martin TPY-4 radar selected by Sweden to boost national and NATO air surveillance capabilities. (Picture source: Lockheed Martin with editing of Army Recognition Group)
The decision represents a strategic move by Sweden to bolster its airspace awareness and operational readiness as it deepens integration with NATO’s collective defense framework. Lockheed Martin will begin delivering the first TPY-4 radar systems in 2027 to support the Swedish Air Force’s national defense requirements. These advanced systems will be deployed to strengthen early warning capabilities and provide superior situational awareness in the face of increasingly complex aerial threats.
The TPY-4 radar is designed with a fully digital, software-defined architecture that allows it to adapt to emerging threats while operating in congested and contested electromagnetic environments. Its solid-state, active electronically scanned array (AESA) offers high reliability, rapid beam agility, and long-range detection of fast-moving targets such as cruise missiles, stealth aircraft, and drones. With real-time tracking and classification functions, it significantly increases the effectiveness of command and control decisions in critical moments.
Sweden’s selection also underscores the radar’s modular, open-systems design that ensures seamless integration into both national and NATO-integrated air and missile defense networks. This interoperability is essential for joint operations and aligns with Sweden’s expanding defense cooperation posture following its accession to NATO. The TPY-4 will serve as a key enabler of regional security, supporting shared situational awareness and coordinated responses across allied air defense systems.
The TPY-4 radar sets itself apart through several core features that enhance its operational relevance in today’s multi-domain battlespace. Its AESA technology provides persistent 360° coverage with unmatched precision and low latency, detecting threats at greater distances and with higher resolution than many legacy radars. The radar’s advanced beamforming capability allows for simultaneous tracking of hundreds of air targets, including low radar cross-section threats, while maintaining high resistance to jamming and electronic attack. Additionally, its digital back-end enables on-the-fly software upgrades and algorithmic enhancements without hardware modification, allowing the system to evolve with new mission requirements over time.
In terms of key technical performance, the TPY-4 can detect and track airborne targets at distances exceeding 500 km, depending on target size and altitude. It offers detection capabilities from very low altitudes, below 30 m AGL (Above Ground Level), up to high-altitude targets operating at over 30,000 m AMSL (Above Mean Sea Level), covering the entire vertical battlespace from terrain-following cruise missiles to near-space surveillance platforms. The radar provides full azimuth surveillance with automatic target recognition and classification, enabling distinction between fast jets, rotary-wing aircraft, UAVs, and missile trajectories with high fidelity. Its fast refresh rate and wide elevation scan ensure uninterrupted airspace monitoring under all weather and electronic warfare conditions.
In combat scenarios, the TPY-4 functions effectively as a primary long-range early warning radar or as a high-tier node in an integrated air and missile defense (IAMD) network. It can supply precision tracking data to surface-to-air missile systems and air defense command centers, enabling coordinated, real-time threat neutralization. Its mobility configurations, available as fixed-site systems or transportable units on tactical trailers, provide flexible deployment options for both static national defense and forward-operating missions.
Compared to equivalent systems in the European market such as the Thales Ground Master 400 Alpha or Saab Giraffe 4A, the TPY-4 offers superior long-range detection, wider vertical coverage, and next-generation digital processing. While the GM400 Alpha is appreciated for its mobility and deployment speed, and the Giraffe 4A for its versatile multi-role functionality, the TPY-4 outperforms both in terms of strategic-range surveillance, altitude reach, and adaptive electronic counter-countermeasures (ECCM). It is purpose-built to counter stealth, hypersonic, and saturation attack profiles with layered waveform control and resilient tracking continuity.
With its selection by Sweden, the TPY-4 is solidifying its reputation as a future-proof radar system capable of addressing next-generation aerial threats. Its strategic capabilities, seamless interoperability, and combat-tested engineering position it as a central component in NATO-aligned airspace defense operations well into the 2030s and beyond.
