Raytheon introduces its new medium-range air defense radar system
News, US June 7, 2022 1 Comment on Raytheon introduces its new medium-range air defense radar systemRaytheon introduced the newest member of its GhostEye radar family, the GhostEye MR
The new GhostEye MR has been designed to detect medium-range mission space while especially focusing on drones, fixed-wing, and rotary wings aircraft.
GhostEye MR was first unveiled in October 2021 as an advanced medium-range air and missile defense radar system.
U.S. Army Colonel (Retd) Joe DeAntona, who is now vice president for Land Warfare and Air Defense requirements and capabilities at Raytheon Missiles & Defense said “Today’s battlefield moves at a very rapid pace, and it’s riddled with a large portfolio of threats. Informed decisions must be made in seconds – not minutes or hours.”
According to the Raytheon release, DeAntona highlighted that “Modern missile defense is about more than speed” and the militaries require radars that see in 360 degrees and “can search, track, discriminate, and cue interceptors against multiple types of threats”.
Raytheon Missiles & Defense (RMD) integrates the new GhostEye MR with the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS).
Raytheon’s statement highlighted that “This medium‐range air defense solution, made in partnership with Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, has been operational for more than three decades and is currently used by the U.S. and 11 allied nations. The widespread adoption of NASAMS indicates the highest level of confidence by a global customer base.”
The director of ground‐based air defense on RMD’s Requirements and Capabilities team, Lindsay Viana said “GhostEye MR integrates with NASAMS and absolutely takes that system to the next level.”
“This radar expands the range and altitude that the proven NASAMS defends, dramatically increasing the overall effectiveness of the air defense capability,” Viana said.
As a component of NASAMS, the sensor maximizes the range of that system’s effectors, including RMD’s Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile Extended Range variant improving accuracy and performance. GhostEye MR’s combination of two key technologies – active electronically scanned array, or AESA, and military‐grade gallium nitride gives the sensor a distinct advantage, the statement added.
Another advantage of the system is its interoperability, which enables the system to communicate with other systems for strengthening strategic agility and flexibility.
According to DeAntona, “That is crucial, and NASAMS has it. NASAMS meets all NATO requirements for interoperability. It can communicate with other weapons systems on the NATO network – doing so in real time.”
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[…] NASAMS is the world’s most widely used air defense system in its segment. It provides air defenders with a customizable, state-of-the-art defense system that can maximize their ability to identify, engage and destroy current and evolving enemy aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, and emerging cruise missile threats, according to Raytheon. […]