Raytheon Successfully Completes Fixed-Base Precision Approach Radar Flight Testing.

Business Editors

MARLBOROUGH, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 23, 1999

Raytheon Company (NYSE:RTNA; RTNB) successfully completed FAA flight certification and U.S. Army flight testing of its Fixed-Base Precision Approach Radar (FBPAR) at Fort Campbell, Ky.

The flight testing, using FAA and U.S. Army aircraft, included demonstration of FBPAR performance features, including radar coverage, accuracy, resolution, detection and tracking. The FBPAR met or exceeded all requirements for all three Fort Campbell runways. "The FBPAR will provide the United States Army aviation community with state-of-the-art, 21st-century, all-weather landing capability," said Robert Eckel, vice president of Air Traffic Control (ATC) Systems, Raytheon Company.

The FBPAR is a replacement system for aging Department of Defense (DoD) precision approach radars, including the AN/GPN-22, FPN-40, CR-62, and FPN-63. The use of second- and third-generation commercial off-the-shelf subsystems provides a proven, cost-effective means of replacing the existing DoD precision approach radar equipment. The FBPAR utilizes Raytheon's worldwide-deployed AutoTrac 2000 System, providing accurate and reliable data alongside the world's most user-oriented ATC automation software.

The Army's new FBPAR, designated AN/FPN-67, will be installed in permanent locations at Army airfields. The AN/FPN-67 is identical to the AN/TPN-31 precision approach radar used in the Air Traffic Navigation, Integration, and Coordination System (ATNAVICS). The AN/FPN-67 is a fixed-base system whereas the AN/TPN-31 is a tactical system.

The FBPAR is a product of Raytheon's long-standing work in landing systems development that goes back more than 35 years. Raytheon is the world leader in solid-state ATC radar technology, having sold and delivered more solid-state ATC radars than the combined total of all other manufacturers.

Raytheon's ATNAVICS, mounted on two high-mobility multi-purpose wheeled vehicles and two self-contained trailers, is the only ground-controlled approach system that can be transported in a single C-130 aircraft. The system provides air traffic control services at Army airfields and tactical landing sites as well as civil disaster sites. It is comprised of an S-band air surveillance radar, L-band secondary surveillance radar/identification friend or foe, an X-band precision approach radar, and Raytheon's AutoTrac air traffic management system. These systems provide full surveillance from zero to 25 nautical miles and precision approach coverage up to 10 nautical miles in all weather conditions. ATNAVICS has been fully tested for operation in extreme conditions and off-road transportability.

The U.S. Army's Aviation and Missile Command is procuring the FBPAR and ATNAVICS to modernize its air traffic services. Raytheon was competitively selected in April 1995 for pre-production activities and awarded a contract with production options, which is currently valued at $130 million. Both ATNAVICS and FBPAR are scheduled to begin delivery to the Army early next year.

Raytheon's air traffic control programs are managed by its Command, Control Communication and Information (C3I) Systems business unit, Marlborough, Mass.

Raytheon Company, based in Lexington, Mass., is a global technology leader that provides products and services in the areas of commercial and defense electronics, engineering and construction, and business and special mission aircraft. Raytheon has operations throughout the United States and serves customers in more than 80 countries around the world.