Raytheon has delivered the first AN/TPY-2 air defense radar for Saudi Arabia as part of a $2.3-billion deal signed in 2020.
According to the company, the radar is the first in its class to feature a complete Gallium Nitride semiconductor, providing expanded surveillance capacity and greater sensitivity to threats.
It offers several key advantages over other radio frequency semiconductors in terms of energy efficiency, weight, and power output.
“The latest AN/TPY-2 radar is now in a different class with Raytheon making more than 50 enhancements to the radar,” Raytheon President of Air & Space Defense Systems Paul Ferraro said.
“These upgrades will help Saudi Arabia to better defend itself from missile threats and will additionally benefit the entire fleet with enhanced sensing capability.”
The Kingdom has six more Gallium Nitride-based AN/TPY-2 radars under order to complement its Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD).
‘Sharpest Eyes’
Raytheon’s AN/TPY-2 is designed to detect, track, and discriminate hostile ballistic missiles in multiple flight phases.
It operates in the X-band of the electromagnetic spectrum, allowing for clearer target visibility.
The radar functions in two modes: forward-based mode for the detection of ballistic missile threats and terminal mode for guiding interceptors toward a hostile missile’s warhead.
According to Bryan Rosselli, Raytheon’s Vice President of Strategic Missile Defense, the AN/TPY-2 has the sharpest eyes among all missile defense systems because it can distinguish between actual threats and non-threat objects.
“The addition of [Gallium Nitride] technology delivers capability for threats to be detected, tracked, and discriminated with improved radar reliability,” he noted.
