Raytheon Receives $2.3 billion Contract for 7 THAAD Radars, 2 for Saudi Arabia

Raytheon has received a $2.3 billion U.S. Missile Defense Agency production contract for seven gallium nitride (GaN)-based AN/TPY-2 radars as part of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system.

THAAD is designed to protect against incoming ballistic missile threats. The contract is part of a foreign military sale to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, a Raytheon release said.

"These highly capable X-band radars are the sharpest eyes in the global missile defense system," said Bryan Rosselli, vice president of Strategic Missile Defense at Raytheon Missiles & Defense. "The addition of GaN technology delivers capability for threats to be detected, tracked and discriminated with improved radar reliability."

The mobile AN/TPY-2 missile defense radar uses X-band to clearly see ballistic missile threats. The radar system operates in two modes: forward-based mode — which detects ballistic missiles and identifies any lethal objects as they rise after launch — and terminal mode as part of the THAAD system, which guides interceptors toward a descending missile's warhead.

Of the 14 AN/TPY-2 radars produced, seven are fielded as a part of U.S.-operated THAAD systems, five operate in forward-based mode for the U.S., and two are part of foreign military sales.