AN/TPY-2
AN/TPY-2 radar. Credit: Raytheon

The U.S. Missile Defense Agency plans to extend its sole-source contract with Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems of Woburn, Massachusetts, for ballistic missile radars through 2021 and has left open the possibility of ordering more AN/TPY-2 radars, according to an April 24 post to the Federal Business Opportunities website.

In a proposed contract modification, the MDA laid out a production schedule from fiscal years 2015 to 2021 to build various components for the AN/TPY-2 radar. The notice said the modification “could include additional AN/TPY-2 radars” but added that “none are planned at this time.”

In October, Raytheon delivered the 10th AN/TPY-2 ballistic missile defense radar to the MDA. Four more are in production, two for the Defense Department and two for overseas customers.

Five AN/TPY-2 radars are currently deployed as forward-based sensors for U.S. missile defenses, including in Turkey and Israel.

U.S. intelligence agencies estimate that more than 6,300 ballistic missiles exist outside the control of the United States, NATO, China and Russia.

Mike Gruss covers military space issues, including the U.S. Air Force and Missile Defense Agency, for SpaceNews. He is a graduate of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.