Qatar purchases Fixed Site-Low, Slow, Small Unmanned Aircraft System Integrated Defeat System FS-LIDS worth USD 1 billion.

The U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency on November 29 announced that the State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Qatar of the Fixed Site-Low, Slow, Small Unmanned Aircraft System Integrated Defeat System (FS-LIDS) System of Systems and related equipment for an estimated cost of $1 billion. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale.
Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link

Fixed Site-Low, Slow, Small Unmanned Aircraft System Integrated Defeat System (FS-LIDS) (Picture source: SRC)

The Government of Qatar has requested to buy ten (10) Fixed Site-Low, Slow, Small Unmanned Aircraft System Integrated Defeat System (FS-LIDS) System of Systems, to include: two hundred (200) Coyote Block 2 interceptors. Also included is the Counter Unmanned Electronic Warfare System (CUAEWS); Coyote launchers; Ku Band Multi-function Radio Frequency System (KuMRFS) radars; Forward Area Air Defense Command and Control (FAAD C2); Counter Unmanned Electronic Warfare Systems (CUAEWS); EO/IR cameras; support and test equipment; integration and test support; spare and repair parts; communications equipment; software delivery and support; facilities and construction support; publications and technical documentation; personnel training and training equipment; U.S. Government and contractor engineering; technical and logistics support services; studies and surveys; maintenance services; and other related elements of logistical and program support. The total estimated program cost is $1 billion.

The proposed sale will improve Qatar’s capability to meet current and future threats by providing electronic and kinetic defeat capabilities against Unmanned Aircraft Systems.

The principal contractors will be Raytheon, Huntsville AL; SRC, Huntsville, AL; and Northrop Grumman, Huntsville, AL. Implementation of this proposed sale will require the assignment of five (5) additional U.S. Government and fifteen (15) U.S. contractor representatives to Qatar for a duration of five (5) years to support fielding, training, and sustainment activities.

In 2021, the Joint Counter Small Unmanned Aerial Systems Office (JCO) in the US selected Fixed Site-Low, Slow, Small Unmanned Aircraft System Integrated Defeat System (FS-LIDS) as the interim counter-sUAS solution for the US military. This comes after the US Department of Defense (DoD) established the US Army-led JCO in January to evaluate the performance of more than 40 counter-sUAS systems. The JCO recommended the FS-LIDS solution for fixed or semi-fixed missions, following which it was then reviewed and approved by the DoD. The FS-LIDS solution is equipped with SRC Technology’s AN/TPQ-50 air surveillance radar, counter-sUAS EW system and electro-optic / infrared camera. These components help the system in detecting low-flying and small-moving UAS targets, classify them and offer electronic defeat capabilities. SRC’s AN/TPQ-50 air surveillance radar, counter-sUAS EW system and electro-optic/infrared camera are primary components of FS-LIDS.

LIDS concept: the LIDS family of systems uses a range of passive and active sensors to detect, track and identify UAS and non-hostile aircraft. LIDS uses a comprehensive network to communicate, allowing the operator to task appropriate mitigation techniques, ranging from electronic warfare to full physical intercepts (Graphic source: IF/RCO, U.S. Army)