Norway to build GaN-based radar with Raytheon and Kongsberg
According to a report in Defense News, the Norwegian Ministry of Defence will co-develop a new GaN-based radar in partnership with Raytheon and Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace to boost the capabilities of the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) against high-value targets.
NASAMS are in operation in 13 countries, as they are able to use a wide variety of air-to-air missiles, including the AMRAAM, which a considerable number of NATO countries already possess.
The next-generation sensor will be based on the existing Raytheon GhostEye family of radars (pictured above). “We can’t provide performance specifics, but the radar’s capabilities will far exceed NASAMS’ current sensor configuration – this is largely driven by the active electronically scanned array and GaN technology featured in the GhostEye family of radars,” Mike Mills, executive director of GhostEye programs at Raytheon told Defense News.
This will be the first project developed under the NASAMS Capabilities Collaborative Agreement, which was signed in 2023 by the Norwegian MoD, Kongsberg and Raytheon.
The production of the radars’ components will be carried out in both Norway and the United States, Mills said, declining to say when deliveries would begin, as discussions about that aspect of the systems’ development are still ongoing.
