Raytheon was awarded a two-year, $3.8 million contract from the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to allow armed forces to conduct jamming operations with minimal communication and control interference to friendly forces, the company announced.    
   Raytheon will produce a technology demonstration showcasing the ability to efficiently generate high-power, rapidly tunable, linear microwave signals across a broad range of frequencies. The demonstration supports DARPA’s High-Power Efficient RF Digital-to-Analog Converter (HiPerdac) program, which aims to enable maritime craft, ground vehicles, tactical aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to generate linear and efficient jamming signals while providing precise gaps for communication frequencies used by friendly forces.    
   In a statement, Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems Vice President Joe Biondi said that achieving these capabilities has traditionally been very difficult, particularly at high-power levels. “Being able to maintain combat effectiveness while simultaneously disrupting enemy sensors and communication systems represents one of the greatest challenges in asymmetric warfare,” said Biondi. “With extensive experience and expertise developing defense systems across the entire frequency spectrum, Raytheon is uniquely qualified to take on this challenge.”