Posted by Courtney E. Howard
El SEGUNDO, Calif., 30 Dec. 2010. Raytheon Company won from Naval Air Systems Command a $52 million contract to produce APG-79 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radars for F/A-18 Super Hornet tactical aircraft. AESA radars provide the U.S. Navy with advanced technology and enable aircrews to detect and identify targets beyond the reach of most missiles. This long-range capability provides more time to process, share, and assess information before critical decisions are made.
"Raytheon's high-performance AESA radar systems offer greater affordability over the life of the radar. The APG-79 has extremely low failure and maintenance rates," says Eric Ditmars, F/A-18 program director, Tactical Airborne Systems.
This third retrofit contract brings orders for the update of block II F/A-18s up to 57. Work for this program will be completed at Raytheon facilities in El Segundo, Calif.; Andover, Mass.; Forest, Miss.; and Dallas, Texas, with deliveries expected to begin October 2012.
