Article Posted on : - Sep 14, 2012

The UEWR radar. A Raytheon photo.

TEWKSBURY, MASSACHUSETTS (BNS): The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and US Air Force have awarded Raytheon a $125.3 million contract to modernise and add new capability to an Air Force early warning radar (EWR) system.

The upgraded EWR (UEWR), a high-powered mission-critical radar, will continue providing early warning of missile launches and space surveillance.

The UEWR also adds a new capability - providing targeting data that can be used to shoot down incoming ballistic missiles.

The EWR that Raytheon will upgrade is a large phased-array radar in Clear, Alaska. Work is expected to be completed by the end of 2017. The upgrade will use the existing phased-array radar face and add enhanced electronics and software to improve performance and target detection.