Raytheon announced that its Advanced Combat Radar, or RACR, has completed a series of flight trials on an Air Force F-16 at Edwards AFB, Calif. The active electronically scanned array radar system executed a range of air-to-air and air-to-ground modes, stated the company. “Successfully flying RACR on an F-16 is another critical step in demonstrating how we’ve optimized our AESA technology for F-16 customers,” said Jim Hvizd, Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems’ vice president for international business development. RACR is a company-funded project. The company said it completed the system’s development in 24 months. “Raytheon’s AESA technology brings unparalleled capability and reliability to the F-16 at an acquisition cost comparable to the old mechanically scanned radars,” said Brian MacDonald, RACR program manager. Northrop Grumman is also offering an AESA system for the F-16 called the Scaleable Agile Beam Radar.
A provision in the fiscal 2025 defense policy bill will require the Defense Department to include the military occupational specialty of service members who die by suicide in its annual report on suicide deaths, though it remains to be seen how much data the department will actually disclose.