The BMEWS radars, located at sites around the world, provide early ballistic missile warning and attack assessment capabilities.

The BMEWS radar systems provide improved intercontinental and sea-launched ballistic missile detection, early warning and attack assessment capabilities. They also have the ability to track thousands of satellites orbiting the earth. These large-scale radars -- 10 to 12 stories tall -- were built in some of the world’s most extreme environments.

The BMEWS upgrade program installed these multi-faced, solid-state phased array radars, using technology developed under the Pave Paws program. In the case of the AN/FPS-120, this radar upgrade replaced the fan beam and tracker systems in operation since the mid-1950s.

The upgrade program has enhanced the performance of all three systems, while significantly reducing their operation and maintenance costs. Performance of the upgraded AN/FPS-120 system has been exceptional, with over 99-percent availability, a substantial factor in the cost reduction.

Raytheon was chosen to implement the upgrade program because of its demonstrated success in managing large-scale system development programs, from design and installation through follow-on support.