Raytheon to Take Part in Army ‘Sense-Off’ to Test Missile Defense Radar Designs

Raytheon will take part in the U.S. Army’s missile defense radar “sense-off” that is expected to occur in the spring of 2019 at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, Defense News reported Thursday.

The sense-off seeks to evaluate radar designs that could be incorporated into the Integrated Air and Missile Defense system and is part of the Army’s effort to adjust the approach for its Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor program meant to replace the Patriot air-and-missile defense radar.

Bob Kelly, director for integrated air and missile defense at Raytheon, said the sense-off event is “separate and distinct” from contracts that Raytheon and Lockheed Martin received in October 2018 to produce radar design concepts.

“We can meet the timeline for both the sense off and initial operational capability in fiscal year 2022,” Kelly noted.

The report said vendors will be given two weeks to demonstrate their radar capabilities and that a downselect will occur by the end of 2019.