Oct 16 2014
The U.S. just gained another defensive system that will help protect the U.S. and its allies from ballistic missiles. Raytheon Company delivered its tenth AN/TPY-2 ballistic missile defense radar to the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) six months ahead of schedule.
AN/TPY-2 is an integral element of the Ballistic Missile Defense System. It is a mobile X-band radar that protects civilians and infrastructure in the U.S., deployed warfighters, and allied nations and security partners, from the growing ballistic missile threat. U.S. intelligence agencies estimate there are more than 6,300 ballistic missiles not controlled by the U.S., NATO, China or Russia, with that number expected to reach almost 8,000 by 2020.
"The delivery of this tenth radar makes the world safer place because the AN/TPY-2 has an unmatched ability to detect, discriminate and precisely track every category of ballistic missiles," said Raytheon's Dave Gulla, vice president of Integrated Defense Systems' Global Integrated Sensors business area. "The AN/TPY-2 has proven in numerous complex tests that it can help defend and defeat the evolving, improving and proliferating ballistic missile threat."
The radar will be integrated into the U.S. Army's fifth Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missile defense battery, serving as the "eyes and ears" of the system by searching, detecting, tracking and discriminating threats, and guiding the intercepting missile. Raytheon serves as one of MDA's prime contractors for THAAD.
Raytheon is under contract to provide two additional AN/TPY-2 radars for the MDA, and is building two radars for a U.S. ally in the Arabian Gulf region.
About AN/TPY-2
AN/TPY-2 is a high resolution, mobile, rapidly deployable X-band radar capable of providing long range acquisition, precision track, and discrimination of all classes of ballistic missiles. The AN/TPY-2 may be deployed globally in either terminal or forward-based mode.
The AN/TPY-2 radar has two modes. In forward-based mode, the AN/TPY-2 cues the Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS), by detecting, discriminating and tracking enemy ballistic missiles in the ascent phase of flight. In terminal mode, it serves as the fire control radar for the THAAD system.
- AN/TPY-2 has performed flawlessly in both terminal and forward-based mode in all major tests.
- On Sept 10, 2013, two AN/TPY-2 radars – one terminal and one forward-based – achieved all test objectives in FTO-01, the U.S. military's first operational test of the Ballistic Missile Defense System.
- The forward-based AN/TPY-2 extended the battlespace during FTM-15 by enabling a Standard Missile-3 to launch on remote and intercept a separating Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile.
Source: http://www.raytheon.com/