Raytheon RTX has delivered the first AN/TPY-2 air defence radar to Saudi Arabia, in the framework of a $2.3-billion deal that was signed in 2020.

The AN/TPY-2 is a missile defence radar specifically designed to discriminate ballistic missiles in multiple phases of flight and is normally associated with the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system. This first radar produced for Saudi Arabia is, however, different from all the ones made before. For the very first time the radar has a complete Gallium Nitride, or GaN, populated array. GaN is a glasslike material that offers key advantages over other radio frequency semiconductors in energy efficiency, weight and power output, leading to increased ranges and expanded surveillance capacity.

The switch to GaN is seen as a key enabler in improving AN/TPY-2 capabilities against hypersonic threats. According to the Raytheon, more than 50 separate enhancements have been applied to the radar, which operates in the X-band of the electromagnetic spectrum. The 2020 contract covers the production of 7 AN/TPY-2 radars.

This is part of Saudi plans to acquire THAAD missile batteries: talks between the US and the Kingdom for this began in December 2016, which led to a Foreign Military Sale authorization in October 2017 covering 44 THAAD launchers, 360 interceptor missiles, 16 THAAD Fire Control and Communications Mobile Tactical Station Group and the 7 AN/TPY-2 THAAD radars.

The AN/TPY-2 can be used for wide area surveillance and, when in Terminal mode, it is directly in the fire control loop of the THAAD system, communicating directly with the interceptor missiles. As a whole, the THAAD package for Saudi Arabia had an estimated value of $15 billion at the time of authorization, in 2017.

Saudi Arabia plans to have 7 THAAD batteries operating at 7 different sites to be built up with the help of the US Army Corps of Engineers. All sites should be activated by April 2028. A storage facility for THAAD interceptors is planned at Al-Kharj in central Saudi Arabia and should be ready in January 2025, followed by the first battery site at Ras al-Ghar on the kingdom's Gulf coast in February 2026.

Battery sites at Yanbu and Taif in the west and King Khalid Military City (KKMC) in the north would follow later in 2026, while the sites at Tabuk in the northwest and Ras Tanajib on the Gulf coast would follow in March and September 2027, respectively. The final battery site in Riyadh should be completed in April 2028.

The US has even approved some limited Saudi production of components for the THAAD batteries: back in February, Lockheed Martin awarded 2 sub-contracts regarding THAAD interceptor canisters and THAAD Missile Round Pallets production. The companies involved are Middle East Propulsion Company (MEPC), based in Riyadh, and Arabian International Company (AIC) for Steel, based in Jeddah.

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