3 December 2018

On November 19, the new mobile medium-range Argentine Primary Radar, RPA-170M (originally known as RAM 2) left the test room located at San Carlos de Bariloche International Airport. This system was designed and manufactured in record time by the Río Negro technology company INVAP, initially with the mission of contributing to monitor Argentine’s air space during the G-20 Summit.

Less than a year ago, on December 29, 2017, INVAP and the Argentine Air Force (FAA, in Spanish), dependent on the National Ministry of Defense, signed two agreements for the provision of this new system and the full updating of a TPS-43 unit and the MTPS radar prototype, respectively.

In this way, three mobile radars will be added for the surveillance and control of the national air space, which together with the Argentine Primary Radars (RPA, in Spanish) will play a crucial role during the event.

The new RPA-170M is part of the RPA family and represents a clear evolution of the Experimental Medium-range Radar (RAME, in Spanish) that has been serving the FAA from 2011. This improvement is the result of the experience of using the radar in campaigns carried out in different regions of our country and also took into account the operational requirements of the air force.

The fulfillment of these contracts reinforces the close cooperation between INVAP and the FAA in the radar field for many years now.