Raytheon Company has recently completed negotiations with the U.S. Army resulting in finalizing a contract modification for system development and demonstration of the Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System (JLENS). The U.S. Army announced this action on Dec. 14, 2006, however, the original contract award was announced in November 2005.

Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems' JLENS provides a long-duration, wide-area cruise missile defense capability that also includes elevated communications capabilities. JLENS also supports situational awareness for the battlefield commander.

The system provides over-the-horizon detection and tracking of incoming cruise missiles with sufficient warning to enable air defense systems to engage and defeat the threat. Each JLENS consists of a long-range surveillance radar and a high-performance fire control radar, each integrated onto a large aerostat connected via a tether to a ground-based processing station. System testing is scheduled to begin in 2010 with program completion in 2012.

JLENS is said to be critical to the Army's system of systems approach to cruise missile defense, using a network of sensors in support of a wide variety of weapons to provide over- the-horizon threat detection and engagement.

In addition to providing a significant cruise missile defense capability, the JLENS system will also be capable of tracking surface moving targets and tactical ballistic missiles during their boost phase, and passing target data to various weapon systems and platforms across the military services.

Work on the program will be performed at Raytheon sites in Massachusetts, California, Texas and Maryland. Raytheon IDS will develop the fire control radar and processing station. TCOM, L.P., based in Maryland, will develop the aerostat and associated ground equipment.

Integrated Defense Systems is Raytheon's leader in joint battlespace integration providing integrated solutions to international and domestic customer base, including the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, the U.S. Armed Forces and the Department of Homeland Security.