Apr 10 2017
Raytheon Company has been awarded a contract modification worth $10 million by the U.S. Missile Defense Agency to continue hardware and software development that will integrate gallium nitride (GaN) semiconductor technology to the AN/TPY-2 ballistic missile defense radar. This advancement will enable easier detection and destruction of ballistic missiles.
A critical element in the ballistic missile defense system, Raytheon's AN/TPY-2 continually searches the sky for ballistic missiles. (Credit: Raytheon Company)
The addition of the GaN semiconductor technology not only extends the range of the radar, but also increases its search capabilities, thus enabling the ballistic missile defense system to efficiently differentiate between threats and non-threats. The overall reliability of the system is also increased without increasing operational and production costs.
AN/TPY-2 is already the world's most capable land-based, X-band, ballistic missile defense radar. Adding GaN technology modernizes the system so it can defeat all classes of ballistic missiles in extreme operational environments.
Raytheon's Dave Gulla, vice president of the Integrated Defense Systems Mission Systems and Sensors business area.
The AN/TPY-2 is on track to be the first transportable, land-based ballistic missile defense radar in the world to use the GaN semiconductor technology
The two modes of operation of the AN/TPY-2 radar include forward-based mode and terminal mode. The radar is placed near hostile territory in the forward-based mode to detect, track and differentiate ballistic missiles soon after their launch.
In the terminal mode, ballistic missiles are detected, acquired, tracked and differentiated by the radar as they descend towards their target. The AN/TPY-2 in the terminal mode is the fire control radar for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense ballistic missile defense system, directing a THAAD missile to interrupt a threat.