Raytheon Wins Contract to Upgrade Ladar Technology

The US Army has awarded Raytheon Co. a $38.6 million contract to develop laser radar technology for the next generation of interceptors for the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization. The company is developing a range-resolved, Doppler imaging ladar sensor that is expected to improve the discrimination capability of the midcourse ballistic missile interceptors.

The system uses an ultrastable laser transmitter to probe targets, and the energy reflected from the targets is Doppler-processed to gather range and velocity data to form an image. This imagery is achieved at longer ranges than is possible with camera-based systems.

The sensor, produced under the Army's Advanced Discrimination Ladar Technology program, is a compact, transportable, solid-state system that may be integrated with other missile defense systems.