Raytheon unveils major enhancements to Patriot missile command and control capability
PARIS, 19 June 2013. This was a big week at the Paris Air Show in Le Bourget, France, for the international Patriot missile program and its prime contractor Raytheon as the company announced major upgrades to the ground-to-air missile and won a big U.S. Army contract for additional improvements.
At Paris officials from the Raytheon Co. Integrated Defense Systems segment of Andover, Mass., announced the new Post Deployment Build-7 (PDB-7) release of software to its worldwide Patriot customer base.
In Huntsville, Ala., meanwhile, Army officials announced a $10.4 million contract modification to Raytheon for Patriot missile radar digital processor (RDP) upgrade kits. The Patriot's RDP and modern man station (MMS) operator-machine interface are key upgrades to enhance the missile's capabilities and reduce its costs.
In Paris, Raytheon announced the Post Deployment Build-7 (PDB-7) software, which is the latest software deployment builds designed to revolutionize the Patriot Air and Missile Defense System, company officials say.
The PDB-7 software uses the Patriot Configuration-3 hardware modernization improvements in radar and battle management command, control, communication, computers, and intelligence (BMC4I). Enhancements enable soldiers in the field to defend against current threats and respond to changing threats.
Key enhancements that the PDB-7 software supports include the MMS with color liquid crystal displays, touch screens and soft keys, improved situational awareness, and decision making during tactical operations.
The Patriot MMS operator-machine interface helps soldiers identify and display airborne objects; track potential threats; and engage hostile targets, including aircraft, unmanned air vehicles, cruise missiles and tactical ballistic missiles.
The enhanced view enables soldiers to differentiate quickly between threats and non-threats, and see threats sooner and farther out, Raytheon officials say.
The new RDP uses a ruggedized commercial off-the-shelf processor, and increases the reliability of the digital processing system and related analog components by 10-fold for a predicted 40 percent increase in overall radar reliability. It also enables future capabilities through software upgrades, including improved target detection, identification, and multifunction surveillance.
The new Modern Adjunct Processor (MAP) is an expandable processor at the heart of the command and control modernization. MAP increases Patriot's computer processing power by several orders of magnitude while also expanding capability for the future.
For more information contact Raytheon online at www.raytheon.com.
