Raytheon to build additional ballistic missile defense radar in $172.7 million contract
HUNTSVILLE, Ala., 23 Dec. 2013. Engineers at the Raytheon Co. Integrated Defense Systems segment in Woburn, Mass., are starting to build the 12th AN/TPY-2 ballistic-missile-hunting radar system under terms of a $172.7 million contract modification last week.
A critical element in the Ballistic Missile Defense System, the AN/TPY-2 radar is designed to detect, acquire, and track incoming ballistic missiles, and uses its powerful radar and complex computer algorithms to discriminate between incoming armed missiles and decoys.
The AN/TPY-2 radar can be deployed in two different modes. In forward-based mode, the radar is based near hostile territory, and acquires ballistic missiles in boost phase, and then tracks and discriminates the threat, and passes critical information required by decision makers to the Command and Control Battle Management network.
Related: Raytheon to continue software development for AN/TPY-2 radar
When the AN/TPY-2 radar is deployed in terminal mode, the radar detects, acquires, tracks, and discriminates between armed missiles and decoys in the terminal phase.
The AN/TPY-2 operating in terminal-mode also leads the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) ballistic missile defense system by guiding THAAD missiles to their targets.
The contract modification announced last Tuesday by the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) at Fort Belvoir, Va., increases the contract value from $580.8 million to $753.4 million.
Related: Raytheon chooses Mercury for data storage and recording in upgrade of AN/TPY-2
The AN/TPY-2 is a mobile X-band radar that helps defend against the more than 6,300 ballistic missiles of so-called rogue states and organizations that U.S. military experts say are not controlled by the U.S., NATO, China, or Russia.
The AN/TPY-2 is a high resolution, mobile, rapidly deployable X-band radar capable of providing long-range acquisition, precision track, and discrimination of short-, medium- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles, Raytheon officials say.
Related: Joining sensors through data fusion
Raytheon has delivered eight AN/TPY-2s to the U.S. Missile Defense Agency. Some of those radars help defend the U.S. and its allies in the European, Pacific, and Central Command areas of responsibilities, Raytheon officials say.
For more information contact Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems online at www.raytheon.com/ourcompany/businesses, or the Missile Defense Agency at www.mda.mil.
John Keller | Editor
John Keller is editor-in-chief of Military & Aerospace Electronics magazine, which provides extensive coverage and analysis of enabling electronic and optoelectronic technologies in military, space, and commercial aviation applications. A member of the Military & Aerospace Electronics staff since the magazine's founding in 1989, Mr. Keller took over as chief editor in 1995.
