AN/TPY-2 transportable radar

The AN/TPY-2 Surveillance Transportable Radar, or Forward Based X-band Transportable (FBX-T) is a long-range, very high-altitude active digital antenna array surveillance radar designed to add a tier to existing missile and air defence systems. It has a range of up to 3,000 kilometres (1,600 nmi; 1,900 mi), depending on target/mode. Manufactured by Raytheon, it is the primary radar for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile system, but also cues the AN/MPQ-53 radar of the MIM-104 Patriot system. Patriot PAC-3 is a lower-altitude missile and air defense system than THAAD.

In accordance with the Joint Electronics Type Designation System (JETDS), the "AN/TPY-2" designation represents the second design of an Army-Navy electronic device for ground transportable surveillance radar system. The JETDS system also now is used to name all Department of Defense and some NATO electronic systems.

The TPY-2 is a missile-defense radar that can detect, classify, track and intercept ballistic missiles. It has two operating modes; one to detect ballistic missiles as they rise, and another to guide interceptors toward a descending warhead. Once it detects the missile, it acquires, tracks, and discriminates between the warhead and non-threats such as countermeasures to destroy the missile with a hit to kill kinetic warhead.

The AN/TPY-2 is an X band active electronically scanned array radar, which operates in the 8.55–10 GHz (3.51–3.00 cm) X-band. Raytheon builds it as part of an X-band family, along with the National Missile Defense (NMD) X-Band Radar (XBR) and AN/FPS-129 HAVE STARE. X-band provides better target resolution than lower frequency bands, for example the L band, though lower frequency bands generally perform better detecting targets with a low radar cross section (RCS). The X-band frequency and narrow beam width improve differentiation, or “range resolution,” between smaller objects, such as warheads, clutter, and decoys. Once information about the threat of missile is received, determining information such as its speed and trajectory, this data is immediately passed along to ballistic missile defense system (BMDS) tracking, discrimination, and fire control radars downstream. This approach extends sensor coverage, the possibility to extend the BMDS battlespace, and the ability to complicate missiles ability to penetrate the defense system.

The U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and Raytheon planned to improve detection range and sensitivity of the X-band TPY-2 missile defense radar through the introduction of gallium nitride semiconductor components. On September 25, 2024, RTX (Raytheon) announced that completing their first TPY-2 with a full complement of GaN devices.