FORT SILL, Okla., March 20, 2018
/PRNewswire/ -- Forty-five unmanned aerial vehicles and drones
fell out of the sky during a U.S. Army exercise after Raytheon's
(NYSE: RTN) advanced high-power microwave and laser dune buggy
engaged and destroyed them. These common threats were knocked down
during a Maneuver Fires Integrated Experiment at the U.S. Army
Fires Center of Excellence.
The event, known as MFIX, brought military and industry leaders
together to demonstrate ways to bridge the Army's capability gaps
in long-range fires and maneuver short-range air defense.
- Raytheon's high-power microwave system engaged multiple UAV
swarms, downing 33 drones, two and three at a time.
- Raytheon's high energy laser, or HEL, system identified,
tracked, engaged and killed 12 airborne, maneuvering Class I and II
UAVs, and destroyed six stationary mortar projectiles.
"The speed and low cost per engagement of directed energy is
revolutionary in protecting our troops against drones," said Dr.
Thomas Bussing, Raytheon Advanced
Missile Systems vice president. "We have spent decades perfecting
the high-power microwave system, which may soon give our military a
significant advantage against this proliferating threat."
Raytheon and the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory worked
together under a $2 million contract
to test and demonstrate high-power microwave, counter-UAV
capabilities.
"Our customer needed a solution, and they needed it fast," said
Dr. Ben Allison, director of
Raytheon's HEL product line. "So, we took what we've learned and
combined it with combat-proven components to rapidly deliver a
small, self-contained and easily deployed counter-UAV system."
About Raytheon
Raytheon Company, with 2017 sales of
$25 billion and 64,000 employees, is
a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, civil
government and cybersecurity solutions. With a history of
innovation spanning 96 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art
electronics, mission systems integration,
C5I™ products and services, sensing,
effects, and mission support for customers in more than 80
countries. Raytheon is headquartered in Waltham, Mass. Follow us on Twitter.
Media Contacts
John B.
Patterson
+1.520.440.2194
rmspr@raytheon.com
Sally McDonough Niemiec
+1.214.449.8715
saspr@raytheon.com
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SOURCE Raytheon Company