Apart from the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Brunei Darussalam and Taiwan, Malaysia is one of the countries that disputes maritime boundaries with China in the Spratly Islands. As is known, the conflict in the South China Sea, including territorial claims in the Spratly Islands, involves a number of countries in the region.
And there is news from Malaysia regarding the Spratly Islands, that the neighboring country will place a Lockheed Martin AN/TPS-77 long-range surveillance radar on Layang-Layang Island.
Layang-Layang Island (Swallow Reef) is an atoll in the Spratly Islands which is managed by Malaysia, but is currently disputed by China and Vietnam. Even China calls Kite Island Pinyin, and Vietnam calls it Đá Hoa Lau. Geographically, Layang-Layang Island is about 300 km northwest of Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.
Reporting from defencesecurityasia.com (30/10/2023), Malaysian Defense Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan in Parliament said, "long-range radar will be placed on the Spratly Islands, this radar will help us monitor every movement that occurs outside the Exclusive Economic Zone ( EEZ).”
The type of radar that will be placed on Layang-Layang Island is the Lockheed Martin AN/TPS-77, namely a radar that has a role as long range air surveillance.
AN/TPS-77 adopts AESA (Active Electronic Elevation Scanning Array) technology with a frequency of 1215 – 1400 Mhz. The transmission uses a solid state type with radio frequency power of 19.9 Kw. The antenna works with dual scan rate, 5/10 or 6/12 RPM.
Meanwhile, the detection range of the AN/TPS-77 radar with a search elevation of -6 to 20 degrees and a track elevation of -6 to 50 degrees, can detect targets at a distance of 300 – 470 km, and a maximum detection height of 30.5 km.
In terms of performance, this radar can operate optimally with an accuracy of 99.5%, while the usage period of this radar is up to 2,000 hours. For the process of replacing and repairing worn components, Lockheed Martin said in a release that it only takes less than 45 minutes.
In terms of design, the AN/TPS-77 is designed to be mobile and portable, including being placed on a truck platform, the mobility of this radar can also be moved by a C-130 Hercules class transport aircraft.
For the Malaysian military, the AN/TPS-77 is not new, because the radar made in the United States has been operated in Labuan, a city on Labuan Island, Sabah State, Malaysia.
Layang-Layang Island in the South China Sea is located approximately 162 nautical miles northwest of Kota Kinabalu, and Malaysia asserts ownership claims in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS 1982). Layang-Layang Island is about 7 km long and 2 km wide.