Raytheon Intelligence & Space to upgrade Australian border surveillance aircraft with advanced radar

Raytheon Intelligence & Space, a Raytheon Technologies business, 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 the special mission fixed-wing aircraft used to patrol the oceans surrounding Australia's shores as part of the world's largest outsourced civil maritime surveillance operation.

“Long-range detection of small targets from higher altitudes increases surveillance coverage and improves Australia's capability to detect and counter Civil Maritime Security threats,” said Denis Donohue, president of Surveillance and Networks Systems for RI&S.

Cobham Special Mission Managing Director James Woodhams said: “Having new-generation technology on our Dash-8 fleet ensures these platforms remain relevant and fit for purpose to conduct border surveillance missions in the national interest.”

RI&S has supported Cobham's mission of patrolling 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 SeaVue radar since 1995. SeaVue maritime surveillance radars currently fly on manned and unmanned aircraft in nine countries around the world.

Work on the SeaVue Multi-Role radar will be completed at RI&S facilities in McKinney, Texas.