The Office of Naval Research has hired Raytheon to develop software and processing upgrades that would let Navy radars spot targets farther away and more precisely, RTX announced Oct. 12.
The work falls to Raytheon's Advanced Technology group, which will write and test new algorithms for processing radar signals and data and add targeted software changes to existing radar equipment. The company said the goal is longer detection range, greater sensitivity and more efficient use of the radar.
The upgrades will go through laboratory and field testing before they are prepared for possible use in Raytheon's SPY-6 radar family and other future naval radars.
"Modernizing fielded radar systems with software-first upgrades is one of the fastest and most cost-effective ways to deliver mission-ready capability," said Colin Whelan, who heads Advanced Technology at Raytheon. He said the changes would help sailors detect smaller objects at greater range and classify targets faster.