Raytheon is making military radars more flexible by enabling them to handle multiple missions simultaneously.
Under a contract with the Office of Naval Research, the RTX business will develop software that effectively treats each radar component as multiple independent elements.
This approach enables a single radar to perform different functions at the same time, supporting a wide range of mission needs such as target tracking and surveillance.
It also allows radars to operate in increasingly congested frequency bands by dynamically adapting their emissions, including coexistence with commercial 5G networks.
“The electromagnetic spectrum is more crowded than ever, and our systems have to be smarter about how they operate in it,” said Colin Whelan, president of Advanced Technology at Raytheon.
“With precise, software-driven control over where and how we radiate, we’re taking an important step forward in how we use software‑defined apertures to keep pace with evolving mission demands.”
Technology Roadmap
Built on Raytheon’s expertise in aperture systems, the software will use a modular architecture designed to reduce reliance on fixed hardware configurations.
This lets operators adjust radar performance more quickly, while lowering cost and reducing overall risk.
Following development, the company plans to conduct trials to evaluate how the system performs in multi-mission scenarios.
If successful, Raytheon will move toward integration into operational naval radar systems.
