Raytheon has announced that it will partner with Bumar Elektronika on the design and development of a modernized Patriot Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) antenna. This new antenna is a key element of the advanced Patriot 360 degree radar proposed by Raytheon for Poland's medium-range air and missile defense system program named "WISLA."

The component will also be compatible with previous Patriot configurations, allowing for future upgrades of the existing worldwide Patriot radar fleet.

"There is a considerable level of technical complexity associated with this effort, which highlights Raytheon's commitment to deliver significant, long term benefits to Poland's defense industry," said Daniel J Crowley, President, Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems.

"In addition, this antenna opens an export market for Bumar Elektronika among established users worldwide - an opportunity unique to the Patriot system."

The initial agreement between the parties enables the respective engineering teams to begin work on defining the concept and could potentially lead to a multi-year design, development, test program and production contract.

"We are pleased to initiate this project in cooperation with Raytheon, which gives us the opportunity to make an important contribution to future improvements of Patriot. This offers clear benefits to nations around the world that depend on the system's proven capability," said Dr. Ryszard Kardasz, President of Bumar Elektronika.

The announcement comes two months after Raytheon and Polski Holding Obronny sp.z o.o. (PHO) hosted a partnering conference in Warsaw, which brought together over 100 Polish suppliers and government officials during two days of active dialogue. Raytheon is actively pursuing several other opportunities with Polish industry in preparation for the WISLA program.

The company's offer for WISLA includes the development with Polish industry of a next generation Patriot solution, which incorporates: + A new Common Command and Control (CC2) system that offers open architecture and multi-role capability, which builds on and preserves the combat-proven functionality of Patriot and its inherent US/NATO interoperability,

+ Introduction of a 360-degree multi-function radar using the latest advanced radar technology to provide unmatched performance, unprecedented operational readiness and the lowest maintenance cost and,

+ The potential for integration of a new advanced Low Cost Interceptor (LCI) to further expand Patriot's ability to simultaneously fire multiple missile types to address the continuously evolving threat spectrum.

Patriot is designed with modular components allowing the system to be continually upgraded and modernized. Today, Patriot is the only combat-proven air and missile defense system, protecting the U.S. and allied forces around the world. Its 12-nation global community, including 5 NATO nations, and future Patriot partners offer Poland benefits through system enhancement, training, maintenance, testing, logistics and shared costs.