Pentagon awards $2.3 billion contract for advanced missile defense radars

The U.S. Missile Defense Agency awarded a massive production contract to Raytheon Missiles & Defense, worth up to $2.3 billion, for seven gallium nitride (GaN)-based Army/Navy Transportable Radar Surveillance (AN/TPY-2) radars.

The AN/TYP-2 system, commonly referred to as “Tippy-two,” is a part of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, which is designed to protect against incoming ballistic missile threats. It has two modes – one to detect ballistic missiles just after launch, and another that can guide interceptors toward a descending warhead.

The contract is part of a foreign military sale to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, according to Raytheon news release.

“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.

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.