A Raytheon radar-warning receiver has been selected by the Royal Australian Air Force for its F/A-18 tactical aircraft fleet as an integral part of the Hornet Upgrade Program.
The RAAF intends to procure 66 ALR-67(V)3 systems as part of a continuing production contract Raytheon has with the US Navy's Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland. To kick off the program, Raytheon recently received a $6.3m antenna contract from the navy in support of the RAAF program. The contract includes delivery of 20 antenna sets for the RAAF and forward antenna development effort for the RAAF and the Finland Air Force.
‘This program will not only provide the RAAF F/A-18 fleet the most advanced, effective radar warning receiver available, it will also bring new technology and in-country work content to Australia,’ said Kathy Weiler, Raytheon's ALR-67(V)3 program director.
The ALR-67(V)3, which is the radar-warning receiver on Navy F/A-18E/F carrier-based tactical aircraft, completed its initial deployment in Operation Iraqi Freedom. The receiver provides digital technology to detect and identify threat radar emitters, enhancing the safety of aircraft equipped with the system.
Including the RAAF 66 systems and the next anticipated US Navy procurement, more than 400 radar warning receivers plus spares will have been ordered under the overall ALR-67(V)3 production program. Additional domestic and international sales of the system are also planned.
Work on the radar-warning receiver is being done by the company's Electronic Warfare organization in Goleta, California, with support of facilities in El Segundo, California, Forest, Mississippi, and McKinney, Texas. Currently under consideration is the development of Australian suppliers to be used for the production of some key system components for future ALR-67(V)3 production to meet additional US and international requirements.
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