Raytheon is set to unveil its new Patriot air and missile defence system at the US Army Global Force Symposium and Exposition in Huntsville, Alabama, US.
Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems business vice-president Ralph Acaba said: "We’re bringing Raytheon’s Gallium Nitride (GaN) based active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar to AUSA so current and future Patriot customers, decision-makers and thought leaders can see first-hand Raytheon’s vision for the future of lower-tier air and missile defence.
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"This milestone confirms that Raytheon can rapidly design, build, test and deliver GaN-based AESA radar capable of defeating all threats."
Built at the company’s Massachusetts-based GaN foundry, the GaN TRLRUs are the heart of the radar and are identical to the ones used for the rear-panel arrays.
The GaN-based AESA radar protects soldiers from a range of threats, including ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as unmanned aircraft.
The radar will work with an open-architecture, common command-and-control node, which will be fully interoperable with Nato and the integrated air and missile defence battle command system.
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By GlobalDataThe system will also retain backwards compatibility with the current Patriot engagement control station.
The main AESA array is a 9in-wide, 13in-tall bolt-on replacement antenna that is directed towards the primary threat.
The Patriot’s new rear-panel arrays enable the system to look behind and to the sides of the main array, allowing it to engage threats in all directions.
Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems business development vice-president Tim Glaeser said: "Raytheon believes the GaN-based AESA radar is the next logical upgrade to keep Patriot ahead of emerging threats.
"Patriot was designed to be continually upgraded, so in addition to AESA GaN technology, Raytheon has a robust, company-funded research and development pipeline, which will ensure Patriot outpaces the evolving threat, even 20 to 30 years from now."
In 2015, Raytheon built and integrated a GaN-based AESA Patriot rear-panel array, with the current Patriot radar using the recently upgraded, back-end processing hardware and software, and tracked targets of opportunity to seamlessly create a 360° view.
Image: Raytheon’s re-engineered Patriot radar prototype uses two key technologies – active electronically scanned array and gallium nitride circuitry. Photo: courtesy of PRNewsFoto / Raytheon Company.
