Tobyhanna Army Depot is leveling up its radar testing campus to better support a ready, modern, and prepared generation of warfighters on the battlefield of today and tomorrow.
The first phase of this proposed two-phase project will be run by the Philadelphia District Army Corps of Engineers. This $68M FY26 military construction project funded through the National Defense Authorization Act will create additional capacity through the extension of an existing ridge, expansion of a current building, as well as the creation of new radomes and testing pads. Phase two will increase capabilities through the building of an off-site tower to improve calibration accuracy. The project is currently in the design phase with construction slated to begin next spring.
Tobyhanna Army Depot is an ideal radar testing location for a couple of reasons. The first is the elevation of its testing facilities. Tobyhanna’s radar campus sits atop a ridge known as Powder Smoke Ridge, which eliminates interference caused by buildings and other equipment when testing at lower levels. In order to retain the desirable elevation, a unique expansion project is required - the ridge is set to be extended via the creation of a manmade addition to the lofty natural feature. The concrete reinforced structure will involve 200,000 cubic yards of fill.
In addition to the elevation of the testing site, Tobyhanna has a geographical advantage for radar testing. Nestled in the Pocono mountains, Tobyhanna Army Depot is surrounded by thousands of acres of state game lands as well as Tobyhanna State Park. Due to the lack of housing development and the nature of the land around the installation, 5G interference from cell phone use poses little risk to the fidelity of radar testing now and into the future.
These crucial factors combined with Tobyhanna’s trademark standard of excellence make the radar campus a unique feature within the Organic Industrial Base, and this project is the latest example of the depot’s dynamic workforce and leadership recognizing an opportunity for Tobyhanna to support our nation and proactively positioning itself to do so.
Nathan Thomas, Tobyhanna Army Depot Directorate of Engineering & Cyber Deputy Director, said this proactivity has positioned Tobyhanna well to anticipate the needs of both the Department of War and our nation’s warfighters.
“Radar systems play a critical role in military operations. As radar technology continues to advance, we want to ensure that we have the physical infrastructure to respond to the Department of War’s needs. By proactively investing in our facilities today, we bypass multi-year construction bottlenecks to deliver advanced radar and electronic warfare capabilities to the joint force ahead of emerging peer threats.”
Upon completion, this initiative will approximately double the number of test pads on the ridge. This will enable Tobyhanna to comfortably support legacy, current generation, and next generation systems. This will also account for surge capacity, ensuring Tobyhanna will be ready to answer the call of our nation’s warfighters.
Supervisory Engineer Michael Sherin said this project is an effort to keep up with a steady stream of workload and provide a facility just as dynamic as the workforce utilizing it.
“What really prompted this expansion was seeing the new workload coming into the depot. We trained our engineers on the next generation radar systems and realized we’d need to expand and build facilities and test areas to support these systems,” said Sherin. “This is Tobyhanna proactively looking at workload, identifying a trend, and ensuring we have the capacity to answer the call,” said Sherin.
Sherin continued to discuss how this expansion project was developed through close relationships with radar manufacturers.
“Several of the test sites were validated against the ranges utilized by the original equipment manufacturers to ensure consistent calibration results can be achieved by both private industry and the Organic Industrial Base.”
Radar campus expansion directly aligns with Tobyhanna's long-range strategic plan, TOBY2035 - specifically the C5ISR Readiness line of effort. The goal of Tobyhanna Army Depot’s plan is to strive to position Tobyhanna for success in the coming years as the Department of War's premier worldwide C5ISR readiness provider.
Tobyhanna Army Depot (TYAD) is designated as the Center of Industrial and Technical Excellence for Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C5ISR), electronics, avionics, and missile guidance and control. TYAD provides cradle-to-grave lifecycle support through depot-level repair, systems integration, software and cyber engineering, and field support. A key enabler of operational readiness for Joint and Allied Forces globally, TYAD leverages new and emerging technologies to further expand the Department of War’s organic capabilities for microelectronics, secure communications infrastructure, uncrewed aircraft systems, Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2), Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD), and the Army’s Next Generation Combat Systems (NGC2). TYAD’s ability to rapidly surge production, deploy field support teams, and scale for contingency or theater-level operations makes it a vital contributor to strategic readiness and operational reach.
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