Powerful New Raytheon Radar Gives Navy Better Defense Against Ballistic, Hypersonic Threats
Summary
This week the U.S. Navy League held its annual Sea Air Space Exposition near the nation’s capital, highlighting recent advances in maritime warfighting technology. Using gallium nitride technology and modular design concepts, Massachusetts-based Raytheon has created a sensor that is infinitely scalable for any defensive role, delivering gains in performance that would have been unimaginable a generation ago. That increased range can be vital when dealing with fast-moving threats such as ballistic missiles and hypersonic glide weapons, because defenders need time to sort out which assets are best positioned to engage particular targets. Its digital beamforming software enables the radar to function effectively even in areas where the adjacent segments of the electromagnetic spectrum are cluttered, or enemy jammers are actively seeking to degrade performance. Raytheon has been a pioneer in the application of gallium nitride technology to a diverse array of military systems, and the many millions of dollars it has invested over two decades is now yielding big gains for the company.