Defence

Raytheon has defended its claim as the sole radar supplier for the US Air Force Boeing F-15 fleet, defeating a bid by Northrop Grumman to offer an active array radar upgrade.

Boeing selected the Raytheon APG-63(V)4 active electronically scanned array radar to upgrade the APG-70 for 179 USAF F-15Es.

The APG-V(4) combines the front-end antenna of the APG-63(V)3 AESA and the back-end, dual-mode radar processor for the APG-79, which has entered service on the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.

The award is a disappointment for Northrop, which viewed its bid as a strategic opportunity to unseat its most significant rival on an incumbent programme. Northrop had offered a repackaged version of the APG-81 AESA being developed for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF).