Raytheon [RTN] said yesterday that it successfully completed a yearlong series of test flights for its SeaVue eXpanded Mission Capability (XMC) maritime surveillance radar with the Australian government.
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| Photo: Raytheon. |
The SeaVue XMC provides several advanced capabilities not found in other aerial systems, according to Raytheon. The XMC can automatically detect, track and sort thousands of targets at once, according to the company. It can also work with Automatic Identification System (AIS) contacts by correlating radar tracks as well as geographically registering what it detects with AIS data. Vessels use AIS to automatically share data with nearby ships to provide locations and prevent collisions.
“SeaVue XMC provides our customers with unsurpassed maritime domain awareness capabilities,” said Jerry Powlen, Raytheon vice president of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Systems in Space and Airborne Systems.
The demonstrations were performed with Dash 8 surveillance aircraft in cooperation with the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service. The U.S. Navy, the Royal Australian Air Force, the Defence Science and Technology Organisation, and the Defence Material Organisation also participated.
The SeaVue XMC is currently operational on U.S. Customs and Border Patrol aircraft.
The XMC system was developed as part of the U.S. Navy’s Ocean Surveillance Initiative (OSI) program. OSI sought to expand the Navy’s ability to continuously survey wide areas in a maritime theater.