TUCSON, Ariz., May 16, 2006 /PRNewswire/ -- Raytheon Company recently
developed a version of the Vigilant Eagle Airport Protection System that
employs the fire distribution center (FDC) of the Norwegian Advanced
Surface- to-Air Missile System (NASAMS).
The NASAMS FDC is a capable, fielded and mature air defense system that
can now serve as Vigilant Eagle's command and control (C2) component that
operates the airport protection system's electromagnetic countermeasure to
divert threatening missiles away from aircraft. Vigilant Eagle is a ground-
based electromagnetic energy system designed to actively protect all
aircraft flying in and out of airports from surface-to-air missiles.
"This adds a field-proven command and control component to Vigilant
Eagle, offering improved technical maturity to the system," said Mike
Booen, vice president of Directed Energy Weapons at Raytheon Missile
Systems. "We have selected an operating command and control system that is
successfully used today in both military and urban environments."
The NASAMS FDC has been in military use since 1994 and was recently
deployed to protect Washington, D.C., from an airborne attack. In this
role, the FDC can track and identify all objects in the capital's airspace,
operate with existing civilian systems, discriminate friendly versus
hostile objects and recommend appropriate action in the event of an attack.
The U.S. Army's Surface Launched Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air
Missile (SLAMRAAM) system also under development by Raytheon builds upon
proven NASAMS technology so that the SLAMRAAM system is capable of
providing the next generation of command and control for Vigilant Eagle.
SLAMRAAM's FDC functionality is highly similar to that required by
Vigilant Eagle's C2 subsystem that must identify, discriminate and engage
shoulder-fired missile threats. By leveraging the existing technology of
the NASAMS FDC, Raytheon will be able to adapt the Vigilant Eagle system to
an urban environment while dramatically reducing the cost.
All Vigilant Eagle's subsystems have successfully been demonstrated as
individual components. With the incorporation of NASAMS FDC, Vigilant Eagle
is now immediately available for demonstration in an urban environment. The
FDC currently receives radar and tracking information from a grid of
civilian and military radars. Addition of the Vigilant Eagle infrared
missile detect and track subsystem would prove interoperability in an urban
environment and low false alarm rate.
Vigilant Eagle has been proven effective against the MANPADS threat in
field testing. It is a ground-based system that protects all aircraft at an
airport, with no additional weight, drag or cost added to airliners.
Vigilant Eagle is a mature, cost-effective airport protection solution and
is ready for a large-scale demonstration or military or commercial sale.
Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN), with 2005 sales of $21.9 billion, is an
industry leader in defense and government electronics, space, information
technology, technical services, and business and special mission aircraft.
With headquarters in Waltham, Mass., Raytheon employs 80,000 people
worldwide.
Contact:
Alan Fischer
520.794.1211
SOURCE Raytheon Company
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Related links:
http://www.raytheon.com/
CONTACT:
Alan Fischer of Raytheon Company,
+1-520-794-1211
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