MRF-SEA tests TPS-80 radar mobility to improve fires integration in the Philippines

U.S. Marines with the Air Command and Control Detachment of Marine Rotational Force – Southeast Asia, I Marine Expeditionary Force, tested the mobility of the AN/TPS-80 Ground/Air Task-Oriented Radar during training in the Philippines on Aug. 27, 2026, to gauge how the system could enhance command and control and support fires integration in an archipelagic setting.

The event aligned with ongoing support to the Philippine Marine Corps’ Archipelagic Coastal Defense Concept through the Archipelagic Coastal Defense Continuum, a recurring series that builds U.S.-Philippine capabilities in areas such as fires, command and control, maritime domain awareness and unmanned systems. For the detachment, that effort includes proving out and refining systems Marines plan to employ.

The TPS-80 is a medium-range radar that provides 360-degree surveillance. Its mobility enables contributions to integrated air and missile defense, helps control friendly aviation, and supplies targeting data to adjacent units. Marines assessed the system’s movement, setup and stow procedures during the training.

“Every time we can take slack out of the process, we make ourselves more capable and better partner,” said 1st Lt. Arturo Perez, an air command and control officer and the officer in charge of AC2 Det. “The TPS-80 is a useful asset that allows us to command and control the airspace alongside our Philippine Allies and other partner nations.”

The testing emphasized how to move and position the radar while operating in a distributed environment. “We were able to validate our ability to rapidly displace and set up with a limited number of personnel and to better understand how the system could support operations in a distributed environment,” said Sgt. Jacob Herbert, a tactical data systems technician and the non-commissioned officer in charge of AC2 Det. “The goal is to understand what this capability can provide, identify its limitations and determine how we can best integrate it into future training.”

By validating capabilities ahead of more complex bilateral events, Marines aim to use combined time with Philippine counterparts to sharpen interoperability, integrate fires and learn how each side’s systems complement one another—advancing the broader ACDC objective of continuous learning, testing and refinement that strengthens each force and their ability to operate together.

MRF-SEA serves as I MEF’s forward command element in the Philippines, supporting Task Force-Philippines and working with the Armed Forces of the Philippines to bolster interoperability and combined readiness.