The latest GhostEye MR radar has been successfully integrated into the NASAMS air defense system
Raytheon has successfully tested the latest GhostEye MR air defense radar as part of the NASAMS air defense system.
This was reported by the company’s press service.
In tests conducted at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, the GhostEye MR medium-range radar, operating as part of the NASAMS anti-aircraft system, provided a detailed picture of the airspace to identify the target and select the necessary response.
According to the developers, GhostEye MR has successfully supported NASAMS in neutralizing threats during combat simulations. All components of the system interacted effectively, exchanging information and relevant data during a real threat.
“The radar has clearly demonstrated its ability to rapidly deploy and accurately detect and track targets over long distances, providing greater range and decision time,” said Jim Simonds, Air Defense Program Manager, Strategic Planning and Experimentation Division, U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory.
According to the test results, the radar station showed the possibility of full integration with NASAMS systems.
GhostEye MR is a medium-range radar system. It is capable of detecting airborne targets such as cruise missiles, airplanes, helicopters, and ballistic missiles.
The radar uses technologies that were used to create the LTAMDS low-level missile defense system, which is currently being produced for the US Army.
The radar system is equipped with a 360-degree rotating radar antenna with an active phased array S-band antenna with electronic scanning based on gallium nitride (GaN) transceiver modules.
The exact characteristics of air target detection by this radar are currently unknown. However, according to the project participants, it should significantly expand the range and altitude of NASAMS, replacing the current AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel radars. The latter is capable of detecting targets at a distance of up to 40 km and at an altitude of up to 12 km (with an effective detection height of 3 km).
As a component of NASAMS, the new radar maximizes the range of the system’s interceptor missiles, including the AMRAAM-ER medium-range missiles.
