Raytheon to modernize U.S. Space Force early warning radars

Raytheon, a business unit of RTX, has been selected by the U.S. Space Force to modernize global early warning radar sites through the Ground-Based Radar Digitization (GBRD) program. These sensors function as the outermost layer of the United States' missile defense architecture, providing critical detection of launches, characterization of objects, and tracking of space activities.

The modernization effort aims to improve detection capabilities, reliability, and operational performance to ensure these systems remain effective for decades. Raytheon intends to implement a common, open architecture in collaboration with the Space Force and other industry partners. This approach is designed to increase maintenance efficiency, simplify future performance upgrades, and prevent vendor lock-in.

The program will follow a two-stage process, beginning with the delivery of prototype solutions followed by rapid deployment across the remaining radar locations. While the specific financial value of the contract was not disclosed, the project establishes a digital foundation intended to support future capability upgrades.