SRC, Inc., a not-for-profit defence research and development company, has received a purchase order from General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) for two AN/TPQ-49A radar systems configured with air surveillance software. The radars will serve as a sensor component within a broader ground-based sense and avoid (GBSAA) system, deployed at GA-ASI flight operations sites in El Mirage and Gray Butte, California, to provide air surveillance coverage near unmanned aircraft testing areas; delivery is expected by the end of October 2026. “Expanding operational range beyond visual line of sight is critical to unlocking the full potential of unmanned aircraft systems,” said Kevin Hair, SRC president and CEO. “This order reflects the growing need for reliable, ground-based sensing solutions that enable safe and scalable integration of UAS into the national airspace.”

SRC says its air surveillance radars deliver 3D target position data with greater than 98% track reliability and support an alternate means of compliance with FAA see-and-avoid regulations under 14 CFR 91.113. Originally developed for military missions, the AN/TPQ-49A is increasingly being adopted for civil air surveillance; SRC has completed compliance testing toward FCC Part 87 certification, which would enable broader deployment of the radar for civil aviation use, including in ground-based sense-and-avoid and detect-and-avoid systems supporting beyond-visual-line-of-sight operations.