TUCSON, Ariz., Nov. 5, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Raytheon Company
(NYSE: RTN) began flight testing DARPA's Persistent Close Air
Support (PCAS) program. PCAS Phase 3 is an 18-month,
$25.5 million effort scheduled to
culminate in live-fire demonstrations. The program is designed to
speed close air support to soldiers on the battlefield.
"PCAS will help reduce close air support response times from as
long as one hour to just six minutes," said Tom Bussing, Raytheon vice president of Advanced
Missile Systems. "By delivering critical information to decision
makers more quickly, PCAS will save lives in the battlespace."
PCAS will enable ground troops, Joint Terminal Attack
Controllers (JTACs) and combat aircrews to share real-time
situational awareness and weapons systems data. With PCAS, soldiers
on the battlefield can quickly and positively identify multiple
targets simultaneously. JTACs and aircrews will jointly select the
best precision-guided weapons for each target while minimizing
collateral damage and friendly fire.
Current flight testing will highlight PCAS-air performance on an
A-10 Thunderbolt aircraft and connectivity with the JTAC equipped
with a PCAS-ground kit. The key element of PCAS-air is
modular smart launcher electronics, which can be easily ported from
one platform to another.
Once flight testing is complete, the PCAS system will be
available for integration with other aircraft and participation in
other demonstrations. Digital interoperability between
platforms and JTACs will allow for increased situational awareness,
improved coordination, and decreased timelines for close air
support.
Raytheon is the systems integrator for PCAS and leads an
industry team comprised of Rockwell Collins, General Electric, BAE
Systems and 5-D Systems. Raytheon brings its expertise in overall
systems integration, weapons, aircraft integration and unmanned
aircraft system ground control stations to PCAS.
About Raytheon
Raytheon Company, with 2012 sales of
$24 billion and 68,000 employees
worldwide, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in
defense, security and civil markets throughout the world. With a
history of innovation spanning 91 years, Raytheon provides
state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration and other
capabilities in the areas of sensing; effects; and command,
control, communications and intelligence systems; as well as a
broad range of mission support services. Raytheon is headquartered
in Waltham, Mass. For more about
Raytheon, visit us at www.raytheon.com and follow us on Twitter
@raytheon.
Media Contact
John B.
Patterson
+1.520.794.4559
rmspr@raytheon.com
SOURCE Raytheon Company