Raytheon and Kongsberg create new advanced radar for NASAMS air defense system

The American company Raytheon has teamed up with the Norwegian Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace and the Norwegian government to develop a new GhostEye radar, a mobile medium-range air and missile defense sensor that will enhance the capabilities of the NASAMS anti-aircraft missile system. This is reported by Defence Blog.

The new GhostEye radar will be built in the US, and two critical radar nodes will be developed together with Kongsberg in Norway.

"GhostEye can be mounted on various vehicles, making it suitable for any operational environment,” said Tom Laliberty, president of Land and Air Defense Systems at Raytheon. “Coupled with a combat-proven air defense system like NASAMS, this new sensor will help Norway and other allied nations defend against sophisticated and evolving aerial threats," said Tom Laliberti, president of Ground and Air Defense Systems at Raytheon.

GhostEye will feature an active phased array antenna (AESA) and military-grade gallium nitride components, providing increased sensitivity, accuracy, and range.

According to the developers, the radar will provide increased range and altitude coverage of 360 degrees and will be able to detect a wide range of targets: from drones to cruise missiles and fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft. GhostEye will also be able to be easily deployed and transported in different terrains, providing high operational flexibility.

Representatives of the Norwegian defense agencies emphasized the strategic importance of NASAMS both for the defense of its own territory and for supporting Ukraine. This project will be the first to be implemented within the framework of the expanded cooperation of the companies, which began in 2023. In total, Raytheon and Kongsberg have been working on the NASAMS air defense system for more than 30 years.