TEWKSBURY, Mass., Oct. 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Air
Force Research Laboratory and the Office of the Secretary of
Defense have awarded Raytheon Company [NYSE: RTN] a $14.9M contract to further enhance its process
for producing gallium nitride-based semiconductors. The new
agreement follows a previous GaN Title III contract, completed in
2013, and aims to increase the performance, yield and reliability
of Raytheon GaN-based, wideband,
monolithic, microwave-integrated circuits and circulator
components.
GaN is a semiconductor material that can efficiently amplify
high power radio frequency signals at microwave frequencies thereby
enhancing a system's range and raid handling, while reducing size,
weight, power and cost. It is used in a broad spectrum of military
radars and defense systems, including the U.S. Navy's Air and
Missile Defense Radar and Next Generation Jammer.
"We have only scratched the surface when it comes to harnessing
the game-changing power that gallium nitride technology can bring
to military applications," said Colin
Whelan, vice president of Advanced Technology in Raytheon's
Integrated Defense Systems business unit. "This contract will build
on the 17-year, two-hundred-plus million-dollar investment Raytheon
has made in maturing GaN. Over the next two years, we will further
refine our GaN process to push the limits of radio frequency
performance while maintaining or increasing yield and
reliability."
The first demonstrator of this technology will be incorporated
into Raytheon Space and Airborne
Systems' Next Generation Jammer program, which is scheduled for
low-rate initial production in 2018.
About Raytheon
Raytheon Company, with 2015 sales of
$23 billion and 61,000 employees, is
a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, civil
government and cybersecurity solutions. With a history of
innovation spanning 94 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art
electronics, mission systems integration,
C5I™ products and services, sensing, effects, and
mission support for customers in more than 80 countries. Raytheon
is headquartered in Waltham,
Massachusetts. Follow us on Twitter @Raytheon.
Media Contact
Ian
Davis
+1.978.858.4135
idspr@raytheon.com
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161017/429353
To view the original version on PR Newswire,
visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/raytheon-awarded-title-iii-contract-to-advance-its-industry-leading-gallium-nitride-technology-300346576.html
SOURCE Raytheon Company