Raytheon cleared to export SeaVue radar to Morocco

7609

The US Department of State has given Raytheon approval to export its SeaVue eXpanded Mission Capability (SeaVue XMC) maritime and overland surveillance radar to Morocco. Morocco is the first country cleared for export of this radar with expanded technology, the company says.

“Raytheon’s proven experience as a global leader in maritime surveillance is further solidified by this approval to export our unique capability,” said Tim Carey, vice president for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Systems for Raytheon’s Space and Airborne Systems business. “No other company offers this exclusive technology to the Middle East-North Africa region.”

SeaVue is a family of lightweight, modular, X-band surveillance radars. They provide inverse synthetic aperture, synthetic aperture radar and moving target indicator modes as well as a weather detection and avoidance mode. The mechanically scanned system, consisting of a transmitter, processor and antenna, can be adapted to different fixed- or rotary-wing platforms, with nose-mount or belly-mount antennas.

Raytheon’s SeaVue XMC is deployed on U.S. Navy and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) aircraft for surveillance along the U.S. coastline, as well as in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. Its flexible radar architecture allows custom configuration to various platforms.

The US CBP was the first to deploy the SeaVue XMC capability, completing flight trials in May last year. The radar is operating on the agency’s Bombardier DHC-8 aircraft, P-3 Orion and marinised version of the General Atomics MQ-9 Predator B called the Guardian, which adds SeaVue radar and electro-optical/infrared sensor. The U.S. Navy has been using SeaVue on a classified platform, according to AIN Online. The CBP’s office of air and marine branch operates 270 aircraft, including two Guardians and five Predator Bs.

Raytheon has delivered more than 1 900 maritime radars worldwide, fielded on a range of platforms including the U.S. Navy’s new P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft with upgraded Raytheon AN/APY-10 radar, the P-3, Beechcraft King Air 350, De Havilland Canada DHC-8 and Predator Guardian.

About 500 radars are still operating, including 150 SeaVue systems used by Japan, Mexico, Italy, Australia, the UK, Thailand, Norway, Pakistan and Taiwan. In Australia, SeaVue radar has logged 150,000 operational flight hours as part of that country’s Coastwatch program, operated by the Australian customs service.