Australian Dash 8s for maritime surveillance to receive radar upgrade with SeaVue
Cobham Special Mission operates 11 Dash 8s for fixed-wing maritime surveillance services on behalf of the Australian Border Force. (Photo: Cobham)
Raytheon Intelligence & Space revealed on 27 July that it will provide its SeaVue Multi-Role (MR) airborne radar for installation aboard a fleet of 11 De Havilland Canada Dash 8 aircraft for Australian maritime surveillance under a contract with Cobham Special Mission.
The value of the deal and its completion timeframe were undisclosed. Raytheon will work on the radars at its facilities in Texas.
According to Shephard Defence Insight, the SeaVue family of maritime surveillance radars uses colour or monochrome flat-panel displays, plan position indicators and B-scan presentations and multiple high-resolution video formats.
In addition, SeaVue features inverse synthetic aperture radar imaging and range profiling as well as moving target detection.
Cobham Special Mission provides fixed-wing maritime surveillance services for the Australian Border Force, covering the country’s 8.2 million km2 Exclusive Economic Zone with 11 Dash 8 aircraft.
SeaVue airborne radars for maritime surveillance radars equip manned and unmanned aircraft in nine countries around the world, according to Raytheon. Examples include Japan, Mexico, Thailand and the US.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Defence Notes
-
Estonia opts for smart, adaptable and cooperative solutions in the face of Russian threat
Estonian-made equipment is being put through the toughest of evaluations in the hands of Ukrainian soldiers resisting the full-scale Russian invasion which began in 2022. The country has long seen the threat and is continuing to adapt for the future.
-
Estonia boosting defence industry with lessons from Ukraine, says country’s economic minister
Estonia is looking to boost its local defence industry with directed funding, industry parks, support through international orders for equipment and rapid prototyping.
-
UK faces cost of balancing defensive capabilities abroad as Iran conflict widens
The UK has recently deployed a Type 45 destroyer to Cyprus and has bolstered its presence in the Middle East in recent weeks with supporting air power to protect neighbouring countries’ air defences.
-
White House calls on Pentagon contractors to “rapidly and aggressively” boost weapon production
Intended to sustain Operation Epic Fury against Iran, efforts to increase the production of weapons and ammunition could expose long-standing weaknesses in the US defence industrial base.
-
India’s strategic defence footprint expansion could be accelerated by Iran-Israel conflict
The latest escalation between Iran and Israel could shape New Delhi’s next-generation shield as India deepens cooperation with Israel on missile defence and drone production.
-
Is the US magazine of air defence interceptors deep enough to sustain a long campaign against Iran?
The Pentagon spent a considerable number of THAAD and SM-3 rounds to defend against Iranian missiles in 2025 and has not fully replenished its reserves.