SRC, formerly Syracuse Research Corp., announced that it has secured $8.1 M in funding for its Foliage Penetration Reconnaissance, Surveillance, Tracking and Engagement Radar, also known as FORESTER. The revolutionary airborne radar system penetrates through foliage to track people and vehicles on the ground.

The funding for the FORESTER program is a combination of two awards to the corporation. The first award of $5.3 M was awarded to SRC as a result of a solicitation by the US Army for an additional FORESTER system to be delivered by June 2011. An additional $2.8 M was secured through the 2009 Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance and Continuing Appropriations Act for FORESTER technology improvements.

"The FORESTER technology redefines modern warfare," said Bob Roberts, SRC’s President and CEO. "This additional funding highlights the commitment of the US Government to safeguarding Americans at home and abroad.”

SRC is currently completing a five-year contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the US Army’s Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center to develop and test two prototypes of the FORESTER system mounted on Boeing A160 Hummingbirds (YMQ-18A), which are unmanned helicopters. The additional funding will help SRC to transition the FORESTER system from a prototype to an operationally fielded system.