Neel Mehta
Raytheon has developed a new line of systems, satellite sensors and radars to facilitate communication and monitoring at the northernmost points of the Earth, the company said Saturday.
In May, Canada awarded the company a five-year contract to operate radar systems and new tools to help Arctic ships with navigation and communication for U.S. military operations and low-light detection systems on Arctic ice shifts and weather patterns.
Tim Raglin, head of Raytheon’s Intelligence, Information and Services business, said that the company developed the Raytheon Arctic Monitoring and Prediction program to integrate satellite information into onboard navigation systems with the goal of finding new sources of energy.
“With RAMP you don’t have to spend money on an ice breaker, but instead can use the ships you already have and simply avoid hitting any ice that’s out there,” said Raglin.
Raytheon aims to increase awareness of ice and weather patterns in Arctic shipping lanes, as well as to decrease transit times for cargo and safer passage to remote locations.
“You wouldn’t have to wait for an ice breaker to become available, and we could immediately dispatch help,” Raglin said.
One of Raytheon’s new pieces of technology is the satellite-borne Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite, an imaging device built to capture details and documentation in certain low-light conditions where thermal-imaging tools may not work.
Jeff Puschell of Raytheon’s Space and Airborne Systems in El Segundo, Calif. said that the day-and-night imaging system can work in a large spectrum of light conditions.
“Even light from the auroras or airglow (the natural nighttime glow caused by radiation from the upper atmosphere) will generate brilliantly detailed views of water, ice floes and weather patterns,” said Puschell.
Raytheon is seeking to aid the Navy and further expand the branch’s communications systems and satellite visibility.
