Raytheon in Goleta, CA received a $19.8 million modified contract to exercise and fund the low-rate initial production option of the ALR-69A radar warning receiver upgrade development contract. 542 CBSG/PKS at Robins Air Force Base manages the contract (F09603-01-C-0330-P00127).
The ALR-69A upgrade is also known as the precision location and identification (PLAID) system, which is being developed for aircraft to counter enemy surface-to-air missile (SAM) threats…
The PLAID system is a combined software/hardware package [PDF] that upgrades the existing AN/ALR-69A. It rapidly calculates the direction of a SAM radar array by digitizing existing receivers, thus providing expanded coverage for individual assets.
PLAID software allows aircraft to operate independently if communications are broken within networked strike packages. PLAID allows individual pilots to perform the suppression of enemy air defense mission even after they lose contact with other planes.
The ALR-69A upgrade can be outfitted [PDF] on the C-130, F-16, A-10, and F-15.