Raytheon Co., El Segundo, California, is awarded a $140,370,582 fixed-price-incentive-fee, firm-fixed-price contract. This modification adds scope to procure 36 AN/APG-79(V)4 radar systems in support of radar integration into the C/F-18A (CF-188) aircraft for the government of Canada. Additionally, this modification provides supplies and support to include software, obsolescence management, engineering support and associated technical, financial, and administrative data in support of AN/APG-79(V)4 radar integration effort. Work is expected to be completed in March 2024. Foreign Military Sales funds in the amount of $140,370,582 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The U.S. Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.
The AN/APG-79 Active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar is a new development for the United States Navy’s Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and Boeing EA-18G Growler aircraft, providing a high level of aircrew situational awareness. The beam of the AESA radar provides nearly instantaneous track updates and multi-target tracking capability. The APG-79 AESA uses transmit/receive (TR) modules populated with Gallium arsenide Monolithic microwave integrated circuits. In the F/A-18E/F, the radar is installed in a slide-out nose rack to facilitate maintenance. It is also currently being tested on the F/A-18 C/D. The APG-79 features an entirely solid-state antenna construction, which improves reliability and lowers the cost compared to a traditional system.
The radome of the APG-79 for the F/A-18E/F slides forward instead of hinging to the right, which saves space in aircraft carrier hangars. The radar has a range of 150 km (80 nm) and multi-target tracking capabilities. The APG-79 is compatible with current F/A-18 weapon loads and enables aircrew to fire the AIM-120 AMRAAM, simultaneously guiding several missiles to several targets widely spaced in azimuth, elevation or range. The APG-79 radar completed formal operational evaluation (OPEVAL) testing in December 2006. As of January 2007 the radar was installed in 28 aircraft; some were experiencing software problems but that issue was expected to be resolved by the end of fiscal year 2007. As of July 2008, Raytheon had delivered 100 APG-79 sets to the Navy; on 3 June 2008, the Navy received the first APG-79-equipped Boeing EA-18G Growler.
The AN/APG-79(V)4 radar’s powerful array, back-end processor and operational software make the U.S. Navy’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, F/A-18 Hornet and EA-18G Growler stronger than ever before. A scaled version of the APG-79, the (V)4 also implements Gallium Nitrade, or GaN, technology. This technology insertion allows aircrews to see further and clearer. The U.S. Marine Corps selected the RI&S APG-79(V)4 to upgrade their Hornet fleets. The radar uses a military-grade version of gallium nitride, a semiconductor that, in its common form, helps power household products including LED lightbulbs, televisions and Blu-Ray disc players. A major reason for Raytheon Technologies’ success with GaN is its state-of-the-art facility in Andover, Massachusetts.
