Raytheon Co., one of the world’s largest defense contractors, received a $217 million U.S. Air Force contract for support and sustain the sensor and processor for the Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar System 2-A, or ASARS-2A. Work will be performed through 2024, according to a company news release.

ASARS-2A contains an active electronically scanned array antenna and is designed to double the surveillance range of the Lockheed U-2 reconnaissance aircraft.

ASARS-2A provides the U-2 aircraft with long-range, high-resolution intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities over large areas, from as high as 70,000 feet above Earth.

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“With ASARS-2A, the Air Force can detect ground targets day or night, no matter the weather condition,” said Chad Pillsbury, director at Raytheon Secure Sensor Solutions. “And, it’s reliable. The Air Force just completed ASARS-2A’s 9,000th tactical mission in Korea this year.”

The ASARS-2A sensor locates moving and stationary targets using its ground moving-target indicator and search and spot modes. Its on-board processing system delivers near-real time, precise target location data. This allows decision makers to respond quickly, rather than relying on ground stations to process the targeting data.

The radar provides operators with critical intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) data and has the ability to detect and accurately locate fixed and moving ground targets with precision.