LRDR: America’s First Line of Defense

Before any interceptor launches, before any threat is stopped, the system must first see clearly, know precisely, and respond confidently. That’s exactly what the Long Range Discrimination Radar (LRDR) delivers.

LRDR is officially operational. This means the U.S. now has a radar system capable of spotting incoming ballistic missiles early, tracking them with precision, and helping stop them before they reach American soil. Operated by the U.S. Space Force, LRDR serves as the frontline sensor in the homeland missile defense mission, providing constant vigilance across land, sea, and space.

Powered by Lockheed Martin’s S4R radar technology, LRDR is part of a next-generation radar family, including TPY-6 and SPY-7, that delivers:

• Early, persistent tracking of ballistic missiles from launch through midcourse.
• High-fidelity discrimination between real threats and decoys, conserving interceptors.
• Future-proof flexibility with open architecture for upgrades and integration with evolving defense systems.

Designed for speed, modularity, and precision, LRDR forms the first line of detection in today’s layered missile defense architecture.
 

Scalable and adaptable, LRDR supports missions from homeland defense to maritime operations:

• Flight Test Other-26a (FTX-26a):: Successfully tracked and discriminated a live ballistic missile threat in a complex environment and reported missile target data to the Command and Control Battle Management and Communications (C2BMC). 
• Flight Experiment Mission (FEM)-02: The Aegis Guam System, integrated with a scaled LRDR (AN/TPY-6), intercepted a live ballistic missile.
• Space domain awareness: Continuously tracks satellites, debris, and orbital threats.

You can’t stop what you can’t see. LRDR is operational and the American Shield just got smarter, faster, and more precise.