Raytheon New Defense Radar Successfully Tracks Ballistic Missile in Exercise

US defense contractor Raytheon's next-generation integrated air and missile defense radar (AMDR) successfully found and tracked a ballistic test missile at the Navy's Pacific Missile Range in Hawaii, the defense giant said in a press release.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The AMDR acquired and tracked a ballistic missile test target in a drill in the US state of Hawaii.

"Raytheon Company's AN/SPY-6(V) AMDR searched for, acquired and tracked a ballistic missile test target during the radar's first dedicated ballistic missile defense exercise at the Navy's Pacific Missile Range Facility in Kauai, Hawaii," the release explained on Friday. "In October 2016, AN/SPY-6 first tracked multiple satellites, hundreds of miles above Earth, from search and acquisition through their orbits."

In November 2016 performed its first integrated air and missile defense action by simultaneously tracking aircraft and satellites, the release stated.

AMDR uses next generation wideband digital beamforming radar that provides increases in range, sensitivity and discrimination accuracy, the release said. This type of radar can detect and track incoming targets while defeating electronic countermeasures such as chaff, jamming and anti-reflective coatings.

The Navy's newest radar remains on schedule for delivery and installation on the next DDG 51, Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer.