Ross Wilkers
A Raytheon–Thales joint venture will update a long-range radar the U.S. Army uses in Afghanistan and Iraq, Raytheon announced Wednesday.
ThalesRaytheonSystems won a $44.9 million contract to deliver AN/TPQ-37 Firefinder radar modifications and spares to the Army through mid-2013.
To date, more than 380 of the Firefinder radars — AN/TPQ-37 and AN/TPQ-36– have been delivered to the U.S. Army and 11 international customers.
The venture will update the radar’s receiver exciter, which produces the signal transmitted from the radar’s antenna and modifies the received signal for processing within the radar’s computer system.
Receiver upgrades are available as field or depot retrofits and also in new production radars, Raytheon said.
Firefinder radars are designed to detect and track hostile artillery, rockets and mortars for allied forces.
