US Pours Rp48 Trillion into Sentinel A4 Radar to Counter Chinese Missile and Aircraft Threats

The United States is spending nearly 3 billion US dollars, or approximately Rp48 trillion, to strengthen its air defences amid the growing capabilities of Chinese missiles, drones, and fighter jets. The funds have been awarded to Lockheed Martin to produce the next-generation Sentinel A4 air defence radar, designed to confront increasingly complex modern aerial threats. According to a US Department of Defense contract announcement on 30 June 2026, Lockheed Martin secured a contract valued at 2.998 billion US dollars under a fixed-price and fixed-cost scheme to manufacture the Sentinel A4 radar along with its technical engineering services. The contract is targeted for completion by June 2031. The announcement stated that the work locations and funding amounts for each order will be determined in stages according to the operational needs of the US Army. The Sentinel A4 is a new-generation air defence radar that will replace the AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel A3 system. It is developed using gallium nitride (GaN)-based Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) technology, which offers higher sensitivity, a wider detection range, and the ability to process multiple targets simultaneously compared to its predecessor. The radar is capable of 360-degree surveillance and can simultaneously detect, track, and identify various aerial threats, including cruise missiles, fighter jets, helicopters, drones, rockets, artillery shells, and mortars. The Sentinel A4 is also designed to operate as part of the Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS), allowing it to share data in real time with other US Army air defence systems. According to Lockheed Martin, the use of digital GaN-based AESA technology enhances the radar’s ability to detect targets with small radar cross-sections while strengthening its resistance to electronic warfare jamming. Compared to the Sentinel A3, the new radar has a significant increase in detection range and sensitivity, enabling it to face rapidly evolving aerial threats. The nearly Rp48 trillion contract emerges as Washington continues to accelerate the modernisation of its air defence systems amid China’s growing military capabilities. In recent years, Beijing has developed various new weapons systems, from hypersonic missiles and long-range cruise missiles to combat drones and stealth fighter jets such as the J-20 Mighty Dragon and J-35. These developments have pushed the United States to strengthen its early detection capabilities against an increasingly diverse range of aerial threats. In modern defence doctrine, radar serves as the primary sensor providing early warning and targeting data for air defence systems such as Patriot, the Indirect Fire Protection Capability (IFPC), and other missile defence networks. Beyond improving the ability to counter fighter jets and cruise missiles, the Sentinel A4 is also designed to address modern attack patterns that combine the simultaneous launch of drones, rockets, artillery, and mortars. The ability to track multiple targets at once is one of the radar’s main advantages over previous generation systems. The Sentinel A4 modernisation is part of Washington’s effort to maintain its military technological edge amid intensifying strategic competition with China, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region. However, neither the US Department of Defense nor Lockheed Martin has stated that the Sentinel A4 was developed specifically to detect Chinese stealth aircraft, but rather as a new-generation air defence radar capable of facing the continuously evolving spectrum of modern aerial threats.