Raytheon completes first flight test of Raiven sensing system

Raytheon has completed the first flight test of its RAIVEN Staring system on a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, demonstrating an air-cooled sensor suite designed to deliver greater situational awareness and operator survivability, the company said.

During the test, a three-sensor configuration accurately mapped urban landscape, marshes and coastline in zero illumination while providing 270-degree situational awareness, according to the company.

RAIVEN Staring, part of the RAIVEN product family, is a next-generation electro-optical and infrared (EO/IR) solution described as platform agnostic, scalable and customizable for missions across air, ground and sea. Its open systems architecture is intended to enable easier system integration and component upgrades.

“This test showcases the RAIVEN Staring system’s advanced sensing capabilities, enabling partners and allies to better identify and respond to threats through integrated situational awareness,” said Dan Theisen, president of Advanced Products and Solutions at Raytheon. “This offering will provide a significant increase in survivability and mission effectiveness through unprecedented situational awareness, high-resolution pilotage functions as well as passive missile detection, warning and tracking.”

The RAIVEN EO/IR product family is configurable and can support up to a spherical 360-degree field of view to improve the speed and accuracy of object detection, recognition and identification, the company said. The approach is intended to give operators increased visibility in a variety of degraded visual environments, terrains and battle scenarios.

The sensors are produced in McKinney, Texas, and additional flight tests are scheduled throughout 2026, the company said.