Radar warning receivers detect emissions from other radars. For instance, drivers with a need for speed sometimes place radar warning receivers on their dashboards — the receivers produce an alert if there's a cop nearby with a speed detection radar. The audio or visual alerts can help lead-footed drivers reduce the number of speeding tickets they collect.
According to the terms of the contract, Raytheon will provide "for the fabrication, integration, testing and delivery of line replaceable units and shop replaceable units," the Pentagon noted.
There was no competitive bidding process before awarding the contract to Raytheon, as requested by Tokyo. The contract award is "the result of a sole-source, country-directed acquisition," according to the announcement.
In April, US President Donald Trump said he would try to axe rules that delay the sale of military equipment to allies such as Japan. "It would be, in some cases, years before orders would take place because of bureaucracy with Department of Defense, State Department. We are short-circuiting that. It's now going to be a matter of days," the president said at an April 19 meeting with his Japanese counterpart, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Raytheon says that the AN/ALR-69A product is "the world's first all-digital radar warning receiver." Attaching the device onto a fighter aircraft allows the pilots to see the direction surface-threats are coming from as well as "precision direction finding for airborne threats," which "enables the ALR-69A to assist with targeting solutions," according to the company's description.