Joint venture to upgrade Army radar

A joint venture between Raytheon Co. and Thales Group will upgrade Army Firefinder radar systems under a $217 million contract.

ThalesRaytheonSystems will furnish modification kits and power amplifier modules as part of an improvement program for the AN/TPQ-37 Firefinder weapon-locating radar, company officials said.

The joint venture will build, integrate and test upgrade kits for the AN/TPQ-37 radar, after which the Tobyhanna Army Depot in Pennsylvania will install them.

The AN/TPQ-37 is a long-range weapon-locating radar used by the U.S. Army and 11 other countries.

The Firefinder improvement program addresses changing needs and integrates new technology to guard against increasingly sophisticated threats. The comprehensive upgrades should extend the life of the radar to the year 2030, company officials said.