Raytheon, an RTX business, has received the first federal contracts for its GhostEye MR multi-mission radar, providing $7 million in funding for the development and assessment of the technology.
Issued by the U.S. Department of Defense and Air Force, these awards will help advance the radar’s development and facilitate an operational assessment later this year, RTX announced from its Arlington, Virginia headquarters on Wednesday.
“This government support confirms the growing relevance and demand for the capabilities of GhostEye MR, as nations around the globe look to bolster their air defense,” said Tom Laliberty, who serves as president of Land & Air Defense Systems at Raytheon.
Built to integrate with the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System, this advanced medium-range sensor was designed and developed by Raytheon through internal research and development investments. When combined, GhostEye MR extends NASAMS’ range and altitude coverage, enhancing its defended-area capabilities.
Laliberty said that by teaming with the DOD and Air Force as well as Norwegian aerospace company Kongsberg, Raytheon will demonstrate the technology’s array of capabilities against various emerging threats.
NASAMS was successfully tested in an air base air defense experiment in Andøya, Norway, last September. During the evaluation, the weapon was able to engage and intercept multiple challenging aerial threats using Raytheon missile types and Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace’s Fire Distribution Center. The testing was conducted by the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Strategic Developmental Planning & Experimentation office.
In the next operational assessment, which will take place at White Sands Missile Range, evaluators will expand on capabilities shown during the previous test by linking GhostEye MR with NASAMS’ FDC using the Air Force’s relevant command and control. In this demonstration, the GhostEye MR rader will deliver surveillance cues while integrating with NASAMS so its operational performance can be assessed.