Raytheon Preps Patriot Replacement Demo for Army Radar Competition

Raytheon is preparing to demonstrate a new missile defense sensor system for a U.S. Army competition that aims to replace the company’s Patriot air-and-missile defense radar.

The company said Wednesday it will test its proposed radar as part of the service branch's Sense-Off program that seeks a next generation Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor. 

The system will perform a surveillance and tracking mission along with live air targets at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. 

Bob Kelley, director of IAMD domestic programs for business development and strategy at Raytheon, said the company’s proposed radar built through agile engineering would help the Army to operate in “the tyranny of distance” condition. 

“The tyranny of distance is most commonly associated with the Pacific theater, where the vast expanse of ocean complicates communications and situational understanding,” he said. 

The Army aims to start fielding LTAMDS in 2022.

Raytheon secured a spot on Sense-Off in early 2019 and is expected to begin system demonstrations in the spring of 2019.