secret radar Special operations | Military aerospace

MacDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Florida – The aerial radar experts at RTX Corp. will upgrade a secret terrain-following radar system to allow military aircraft to infiltrate enemy territory by hiding in mountain passes, valleys and in bad weather.

Officials with U.S. Special Operations Command at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., announced Wednesday a potential $293 million, six-year order for the Raytheon RTX segment in McKinney, Texas, for research and maintaining new capabilities for the Silent Knight radar system. . The initial order is worth $33.7 million.

Silent Knight is a multi-aircraft terrain tracking and avoidance radar above K-band designed to allow special forces aircraft to infiltrate dangerous areas undetected and at night with reduced risks of crash when of a low altitude flight.

The radar is designed for the Lockheed Martin MC-130J four-engine turboprop aircraft; Boeing MH-47G heavy transport helicopter; Sikorsky MH-60M medium transport helicopter; and the Bell Boeing CV-22 block 30 tilt-rotor aircraft.

Related: U.S. Special Operations Command Asks Raytheon to Continue Building Secret Silent Knight Aircraft Radar

The Silent Knight radar allows these special operations aircraft to fly covertly at low altitude at night to insert and withdraw commando forces for operations behind enemy lines.

The system also provides navigation aid, ground mapping and weather information to air crews. The radar has advanced terrain tracking and avoidance capabilities and will be lighter and require less power than its predecessors. Raytheon’s key partners on the Silent Knight radar include DRS Technologies in St. Louis and Collins Aerospace in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

The Silent Knight Radar operates at low power to reduce its chances of being detected by enemy passive RF receivers. The system also features color displays of tactical weather data to improve pilot situational awareness.

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Essentially, the Silent Knight radar system allows the MC-130J and other special forces aircraft to fly close to the ground, skirting the low points of mountain passes, valleys and other terrain features, even when the Darkness and bad weather reduce visibility to zero.

The system’s sophisticated weather radar also allows the aircraft to hide in clouds, fog, dust, rainstorms and complete darkness at very low altitudes. Its radar can detect key details such as power pylons and high-voltage power lines while providing pilots with enough warning to avoid them.

Under this order, Raytheon will perform the work in McKinney, Texas, and is expected to be completed by June 2030. For more information, contact RTX Raytheon online at www.rtx.com/raytheon, or the Command United States Special Operations at www.socom.mil.