Raytheon Lofts New Cruise-Missile, Drone-Fighting Radar System

(RTTNews) - Defense contractor Raytheon Company (RTN) on Saturday said the U.S. Army lofted a blimp equipped with a new cruise-missile and drone-fighting radar system, high above rural Maryland for the first time.

The system made by Raytheon, known as JLENS, include two helium-filled aerostats, or tethered blimps, floating 10,000 feet above the ground and carry powerful radars which helps in detection of potential threats at very long ranges.

Raytheon said its engineers raised one of the football-field sized aerostats thousands of feet in the air as part of the deployment, and ran a series of tests to ensure its operation as designed.

The defense contractor indicated it would continue to test and integrate the radar for several more days, before handing over the first JLENS balloon over to the U.S. Army's A Battery, 3rd Air Defense Artillery.

Dave Gulla, Vice President of Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems' Global Integrated Sensors Business, observed, "JLENS is strategically emplaced to help defend Washington D.C. and a Texas-sized portion of the East Coast from cruise missiles, drones and hostile aircraft.

Gulla indicated that the system could enable the "North American Aerospace Defense Command more time to make decisions and more space to react appropriately."

Raytheon also indicated a second aerostat is scheduled to go aloft early 2015, with some more additional tests. It will then be handed over to the army that will conduct an operational exercise with JLENS.

Raytheon said information from JLENS will be used by NORAD, the U.S.-Canadian organization charged with aerospace warning, aerospace control and maritime warning for North America, the 263rd Army Air and Missile Defense Command -- responsible for airspace defense over the National Capital Region. A JLENS system will also be in strategic reserve for deployment anywhere in the world.

Raytheon last traded at $110.51, up $0.43 or 0.39%, in after-hours trade on the NYSE.