Raytheon announced it has completed all system requirements and testing of the Upgraded Early Warning Radar at Thule AB, Greenland. The UEWR is now ready to support the United States’ ballistic missile defense mission, according to the company. Thule is the third Air Force early warning radar that Raytheon modified so that it is able to detect ballistic missiles early in their flights, precisely track them, and then accurately determine if they are threats. The two other radars are located at Beale AFB, Calif., and RAF Fylingdales, Britain. “Our ability to leverage the technical knowledge and real-world experience from the previous upgrades at Beale and Fylingdales enabled us to deliver a system that meets current and future operational needs on time and under budget,” said Dave Gulla, Raytheon’s vice president for national and theater security programs.
The Air Force on March 12 awarded contract modifications worth a combined $2.4 billion to Boeing to procure an undisclosed number of E-7 Wedgetail as part of the program's engineering and manufacturing development phase and continue work on the airborne battle management aircraft’s radar.