Big Countries Are Big Buyers Boosting Radar Sales

Rapid development of the internal air transport network in sprawling mainland China is bringing good business to Raytheon Systems Ltd, the radar-building UK arm of the giant Raytheon conglomerate, matched by similarly good business in equally sprawling Brazil.

Earlier this month Raytheon Systems delivered the last of 20 monopulse secondary surveillance radars to China's Civil Aviation Administration, and signed contracts to supply more to the same customer. One will be installed at Suneteyouqi, in Inner Mongolia, as part of a new radar chain along the trans-polar route for commercial air traffic between east Asia and North America. The route significantly reduces flying time for airline passengers traveling between the two continents.

This installation will become operational in October and will be the 23rd MSSR that Raytheon has supplied to the People's Republic of China.

The People's Republic has become one of Raytheon's most important customers, says the company's Mick Reeve. New model contracts have significantly reduced the time taken in negotiations, to both parties' benefit, he said.

Raytheon has delivered the last of 20 similar monopulse secondary surveillance systems to the Brazilian government's SIVAM (System for the Vigilance of the Amazon) project. Among its many uses the system supports environmental protection, the company says, by monitoring forest fires and aiding in the detection of illegal logging and the destruction if primary forest areas.

By Bob Rodwell