Raytheon Delivers Missile Defence Radar To Saudi Arabia

A new super-sensitive missile defence radar built by Raytheon has been delivered to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

According to a recent press statement released by the firm — part of multinational aerospace and defence conglomerate RTX — it has recently provided the Middle East nation with its latest AN/TPY-2 radar, whose array uses Gallium Nitride (GaN) as its semiconductor.

The advantage of GaN is that the glass-like material is more energy-efficient and lighter than other types of radio-frequency semiconductors such as Gallium Arsenide (GaAs), and Silicon (Si).

The enhanced sensitivity of the GaN array allows for greater range and surveillance capacity, as per the press statement. It works in the X-Band of the electromagnetic spectrum, meaning it offers greater clarity of resolution and can easily distinguish between ballistic targets and “noise” such as separation debris.

The AN/TPY-2 is a missile defence radar that can detect, track and individually identify ballistic missiles in multiple phases of their flight.

Paul Ferraro, President of Air & Space Defense Systems at Raytheon, said: “The latest AN/TPY-2 radar is now in a different class with Raytheon making more than 50 enhancements." 

He added: "These upgrades will help Saudi Arabia to better defend itself from missile threats and will additionally benefit the entire fleet with enhanced sensing capability."

• You can read more details on the RTX website