PATUXENT RIVER NAS, Md. – U.S. Navy airborne radar experts needed advanced airborne radar systems for the U.S. Navy Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol, surveillance, and anti-submarine warfare aircraft. They found a solution from the RTX Corp. Raytheon segment in McKinney, Texas.
Officials of the Naval Air Systems Command at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Md., are asking the RTX Raytheon for complete APY-10 radar systems for P-8A Multi-Mission Maritime production aircraft, under terms of an $85.8 million contract action announced in December.
The Raytheon AN/APY-10 maritime, littoral, and overland surveillance radar is a relatively new design for the P-8A. Compared with the previous-generation AN/APS-137 radar, the AN/APY-10 has reduced size, weight, and power (SWaP); additional target track capabilities, a new color weather avoidance mode, and room for technology growth, Raytheon officials say.
Maritime patrol
The Raytheon AN/APY-10 radar is a multifunction, mechanically scanned X-band system designed primarily for maritime patrol on the Boeing P-8 Poseidon aircraft that is optimized for anti-submarine warfare (ASW), anti-surface warfare, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) in all weather.
It supports high-resolution imaging via synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and inverse SAR (ISAR) for overland and surface surveillance, periscope detection for submarines, color weather avoidance, and navigation modes. The radar offers long-range detection as far as 250 nautical miles against maritime targets, with automated target classification and tracking.
The P-8A Poseidon is a specially hardened and reinforced version of the Boeing 737-800 passenger jet, and is designed to operate either at extremely low altitudes or at high altitudes over the ocean to search for potentially hostile submarines. The P-8A is designed to withstand the rigors of low-altitude turbulence and exposure to salt spray.
Mission control
The AN/APY-10 is integrated into the Boeing mission control and display system aboard the Poseidon for control, display, and data distribution. The airborne radar also will provide ultra-high-resolution imaging modes for maritime and overland operations. The radar fits in the nose of the Poseidon.
The Poseidon is replacing the P-3 Orion for long-range maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare. The aircraft is equipped with modern avionics, anti-ship missiles, sophisticated torpedoes, sonobuoys, radar, and signals-intelligence gear. The Navy plans to buy 117 P-8As to replace its P-3 fleet.
On this order Raytheon will do the work in McKinney, Texas, and should be finished by December 2030. For more information contact RTX Raytheon online at www.rtx.com/raytheon.
