Raytheon Intelligence & Space will equip Australian border surveillance aircraft with its latest SeaVue Multi-Role radar under a contract with Cobham Special Mission.
Under the contract, RI&S will upgrade Cobham’s fleet of Dash 8 fixed-wing aircraft to the most advanced version of its SeaVue multi-domain surveillance radar in support of Australian border protection operations.
SeaVue MR will bring long-range, high-altitude surveillance capabilities to special mission fixed-wing aircraft used to patrol the oceans surrounding Australia’s coastlines as part of the world’s largest outsourced civilian maritime surveillance operation.
“Long-range detection of small targets at higher altitudes increases surveillance coverage and improves Australia’s ability to detect and counter civilian maritime security threats,” said Denis Donohue, President of Surveillance and Networks. Systems for RI&S.
Cobham’s Special Mission Managing Director, James Woodhams, said: “Having next-generation technology on our Dash-8 fleet ensures that these platforms remain relevant and fit for purpose to conduct border surveillance missions in the national interest.”
RI&S supported Cobham’s mission to patrol the country’s vast 8.2 million square kilometer Exclusive Economic Zone – which includes oil and gas fields, shipping lanes and fisheries – with previous versions of the radar SeaVue since 1995. SeaVue maritime surveillance radars are currently flying on manned and unmanned aircraft in nine countries around the world.
Work on the SeaVue multirole radar will be completed at the RI&S facility in McKinney, Texas.
