Raytheon Wins $243M for THAAD Radar

The U.S. Missile Defense Agency awarded Raytheon $243 million to provide THAAD radar.

This modification contract calls for the supply of one AN/TPY-2 Radar (Radar #13) to support Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) Battery #8. It brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to approximately $1.24 billion.

The period of performance is from April 21, 2021, through Dec. 31, 2024.

The AN/TPY-2 Surveillance Transportable Radar, also called the Forward Based X-Band Transportable (FBX-T) is a long-range, very high-altitude active digital antenna array X band surveillance radar designed to add a tier to existing missile and air defence systems. It has a range of 4,700 km. Made by Raytheon, it is the primary radar for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile system, but also cues the AN/MPQ-53 radar of the MIM-104 Patriot system. Patriot PAC-3 is a lower-altitude missile and air defense system than THAAD.

The AN/TPY-2 is a missile-defense radar that can detect, classify, track and intercept ballistic missiles. It has two operating modes – one to detect ballistic missiles as they rise, and another that can guide interceptors toward a descending warhead. Once it detects the missile, it acquires it, tracks it, and uses its powerful radar and complex computer algorithms to discriminate between the warhead and non-threats such as countermeasures in order to destroy the missile with a hit to kill kinetic warhead.