Raytheon announced Monday the opening of a new facility designed to solely focus upon radar testing and integration, with an overarching goal of developing manufacturing innovations.
The $72 million, 30,000 square-foot facility, based in Andover, Mass., is the primary location for testing and integration of current and future radar programs for U.S. and international customers. AN/SPY-6, the Navy’s next-generation integrated air and missile defense radar, currently in low rate initial production, is the first system to enter the space.
“We built the radar development facility with the future, and our customers, in mind,” Sarah Jennette, program manager for the project, said. “This advanced manufacturing campus now has the ability to work from atoms all the way up to massive radar arrays. From physical size, to power capabilities, to automated tech, we are building for the future of radar. As the next step in our advanced manufacturing roadmap, it follows on the heels of our recently announced $100 radar manufacturing plant to be built in Forest, Mississippi.”
The new site supports quality, reliability, repeatability and delivery speed through two near field radar test ranges, officials said, referencing a 1.5-megawatt substation to meet power requirements of current and future radar programs and autonomous material movement via automated guided vehicles.