Press release
Qorvo® GaN Technology to Upgrade U.S. Army Radar System
Powerful amplifier chosen by Lockheed Martin to improve range, reliability and lifecycle costs GREENSBORO, N.C., Sept. 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Qorvo®
About this update from Qorvo, Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"Powerful amplifier chosen by Lockheed Martin to improve range, reliability and lifecycle costs\n GREENSBORO, N.C., Sept. 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Qorvo® (Nasdaq:QRVO), a leading provider of innovative RF solutions that connect the world, today announced that one of its gallium nitride (GaN) power amplifiers has been selected by Lockheed Martin to provide GaN modules for production of the U.S. Army’s Q-53 radar system. The insertion of GaN technology into this multi-mission mobile radar will provide superior efficiency, power density, reliability and lifecycle cost over the gallium arsenide (GaAs) amplifiers currently used in the system. The S-band MMIC high power amplifier (HPA) is built on Qorvo’s ultra-reliable gallium nitride on silicon carbide (GaN-on-SiC) technology. The GaN HPA delivers more than twice the saturated output power and a fifteen-point improvement in power-added efficiency (PAE) over the GaAs predecessor. These capabilities support needed functions of the phased-array Q-53 radar, such as long-range counterfire acquisition. The amplifier’s compact size and exceptional performance supports a wide range of challenging operating conditions. GaN-on-SiC technology has the added benefit of increasing system reliability and reducing lifecycle ownership costs. James Klein, Qorvo’s president of Infrastructure and Defense products, said, “GaN-based amplifiers are providing RF system engineers with the flexibility to achieve significantly higher power and efficiency than GaAs while using fewer parts. The Q-53 radar system exemplifies just how closely Qorvo works with its defense customers to bring commercial technology to military applications that operate across the spectrum with the highest levels of reliability and functionality. We are proud to be selected by Lockheed Martin to help upgrade the U.S. Army’s most modern radar system.” Qorvo offers the industry’s largest, most innovative GaN-on-SiC portfolio to help customers realize significant improvements in efficiency and operational bandwidth. The company’s products deliver high power density, reduced size, excellent gain, high reliability and process maturity, with volume production dating back to 2000. Lockheed Martin has used an open GaN foundry model leveraging relationships with commercial suppliers, like Qorvo, that utilize the power of the expansive telec...