TEWKSBURY, Mass., Nov. 9, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The United
States Army is acquiring upgrade kits to make the combat-proven
Patriot Integrated Air and Missile Defense system better at
detecting and destroying threats, cost less to operate, and run
even more reliably than it already does. The U.S. Army recently
awarded Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) a contract modification to an
existing contract for radar digital processor (RDP) upgrade kits,
not to exceed the amount of $86.2
million.
The contract modification, previously announced on Sept 30th, will enable the U.S. Army
to finish upgrading their entire inventory of Patriots. The
U.S. Army began phasing the upgrade kits into its Patriot fleet in
2013.
The U.S. and members of the 13-nation strong Patriot partnership
funded development of the RDP. Patriot batteries upgraded with the
RDP will:
- Better detect and identify targets, and have enhanced
surveillance.
- Cost less to operate and maintain. The legacy processor has
more than 700 components, while the RDP just has fewer than
100.
- Have a 40% higher reliability rate than systems with the legacy
component.
"When one country develops an upgrade or improvement to Patriot,
that capability is made available to the entire 13-nation
Partnership," said Ralph Acaba,
Raytheon vice president of Integrated Air and Missile Defense.
"With more than 220 Patriot fire units owned by 13 countries,
countries whose industrial bases participate in manufacturing
Patriot have a very large potential export market."
The RDP and other Patriot upgrades leverage the lessons learned
from Patriot's more than 190 combat employments, 700 flight tests
and 2,500-plus ground tests.
About Global Patriot Solutions
Raytheon's Global Patriot Solutions is the most advanced
portfolio of air and missile defense technologies in the world,
providing comprehensive protection against a full range of advanced
threats including aircraft, tactical ballistic missiles, cruise
missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles. Continually upgraded and
enhanced to leverage the latest technology, thirteen nations
depend on Patriot as the foundation for their defense.
About Raytheon
Raytheon Company, with 2014 sales of $23
billion and 61,000 employees worldwide, is a technology and
innovation leader specializing in defense, civil government and
cybersecurity markets throughout the world. With a history of
innovation spanning 93 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art
electronics, mission systems integration and other capabilities in
the areas of sensing; effects; and command, control, communications
and intelligence systems, as well as cybersecurity and a broad
range of mission support services. Raytheon is headquartered in
Waltham, Mass. For more about
Raytheon, visit us at www.raytheon.com and follow us on Twitter
@Raytheon.
Media Contact
Mike
Nachshen
+1.520.269.5697
idspr@raytheon.com
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SOURCE Raytheon