Raytheon Secures $146M Navy Contract for Operation, Maintenance of Surveillance Radar Network

Raytheon Technologies announced Tuesday that the U.S. Navy has awarded the company's intelligence and space business a five-year contract worth $146 million to continue operating and maintaining the U.S. government's Relocatable Over-the-Horizon Radar (ROTHR) system. The contract will require Raytheon Intelligence & Space to support the operations of the long-range surveillance radar network.

"Raytheon Technologies' ROTHR systems have supported U.S. Navy operations for over 30 years. We will continue to work closely with the Navy and [Joint Interagency Task Force South] to help protect our national security,” said John DeSimone, vice president of cybersecurity, training and services at Raytheon Intelligence & Space.

The company will support six ROTHR sites in Texas, Puerto Rico and Virginia.

ROTHR was created to track long-range targets for aircraft and ships. The system is now the primary detection system for border security and drug smuggling interdiction for JIATF South. 

In 2020, ROTHR helped officials seize 26 metric tons of cocaine from drug smugglers attempting to cross the U.S.-Mexican border. Every ROTHR covers more than 2.5 million square miles, which keeps operational costs extremely low.