29 Sep 03. ThalesRaytheonSystems has signed a 70 M€ contract with the French defense procurement agency, Délégation Générale pour l’Armement (DGA), to develop a demonstrator for a new generation of air defense radar. The contract will be conducted in partnership with the Thales Group. The demonstrator production will mark the first phase in the development of a new generation of mobile, multi-functional, modular radars (M3R) and a new line of products. With unprecedented range capabilities on low radar cross-section targets such as cruise missiles, these radars will provide an effective response to a diverse threat environment encompassing both conventional air defense and antitactical ballistical missile (ATBM) low-level and very low-level threats. The contract calls for production of a new type of solid-state electronic components for the radar, followed by construction of a modular active phased-array antenna. This two-phase approach is designed to provide proof of concept before launching prototype development and series production.