Raytheon, an RTX subsidiary, has received a contract worth $31.3 million from the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division to design, build, and test two high-power microwave antenna systems. The antenna will use directed energy to defeat airborne threats at the speed of light.
As part of the Directed Energy Front-line Electromagnetic Neutralization and Defeat (DEFEND) program, the systems will be designed to be rugged and transportable for quick and easy front-line deployment where needed. Under the three-year contract, Raytheon will deliver prototype systems to the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force.
“Non-kinetic defense systems are a key part of America’s national defense strategy,” said Colin Whelan, president of Advanced Technology at Raytheon. “The new iterations of Raytheon’s high-power microwave systems are cost-effective and reliable solutions that operate at the speed of light – enabling our warfighters to defend against faster and more maneuverable threats.”
Raytheon has been at the forefront of using high-power microwaves (HPM) for nearly 80 years. The new HPM prototype systems are an extension of Raytheon’s extensive experience developing capabilities such as CHIMERA (Counter-Electronic High Power Microwave Extended Range Air Base Defense). CHIMERA is a transportable, standalone system that can fire at multiple middle- to long-range targets and wields more power than THOR (Tactical High-Power Operational Responder).
HPM weapons are known for their unique advantages over other types of kinetic and non-kinetic weapons. They have a fast firing rate, taking less than a second to fire, and the latest generation of systems provide deep magazines, enabling them to fire multiple times in a short period. These weapons can deliver a range of effects on a target, from damaging sensitive electronic components to degrading their performance or forcing reboots and restarts.
An HPM system generally uses radio frequency (RF) and microwave energy to disrupt a target’s processors and logic components. The system’s beam can be shaped to focus on a wide area or into a narrow beam, as it transmits from an antenna. It can use a wide antenna beam to attack multiple targets simultaneously, while a narrow antenna beam can focus energy on a single target. An HPM system with an active electronically scanned array (AESA) can quickly change the beam shape.
Work on this contract is being conducted in Tucson, Arizona, in collaboration with the U.S. Air Force Research Lab, Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division, and the Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering. The expected timeline for the delivery of prototypes is in fiscal years 2024 and 2026.
