Raytheon wins contract to update radar production to incorporate Gallium Nitride

Raytheon Co. recently won a contract modification from the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) to update its production process to transition AN/TPY-2 radars from Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) to Gallium Nitride (GaN) technology.
 
"GaN components have significant, proven advantages when compared to the previous generation GaAs technology," Raytheon VP of Integrated Defense Systems Mission Systems and Sensors Dave Gulla said. "Through this effort, Raytheon will develop a clear modernization upgrade path for the AN/TPY-2 radar, enabling the system to better defend people and critical assets against ballistic missile threats at home and abroad."
 
In other Raytheon military radar applications, substituting GaAs components for GaN ones allowed the company to increase radar range, enhance radar detection and discrimination performance and lower radar production costs. Transitioning to a production process that incorporates GaN technology allows the company to modernize its ballistic missile defense radar.
 
AN/TPY-2 radars currently in use feature GaAs based transmit/receive modules that emit high power radiation, and Ratheon and MDA hope to retrofit existing radars to incorporate GaN modules. The An/TPY-2 radar is transportable and is used in the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure throughout the U.S., as well as deployed U.S. military personnel and allied nations and security partners.