Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, MD -- The APG-79 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) program was recently honored by Aviation Week and Space Technology magazine as the winner of the publications prestigious Laurel Awards. The AESA radar system, built for the F/A-18E/F, replaces existing mechanically scanned antennas with a radar beam that can be steered at close to the speed of light.

The Laureate was awarded in Electronics to the AESA team and specifically to the radar’s program managers, Cmdr, Dave Dunaway of NAVAIR PMA265, Tom Kennedy of Raytheon, and Don Thole, of the Boeing Company. The Aerospace Laurels honor individuals and teams for significant contributions to the global field of aerospace.

The AESA team will be honored along with Laureate award winners from other categories at a special event April 8 at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. Winners will be featured in the magazine’s April 21 edition.

NAVAIR provides advanced warfare technology through the efforts of a seamless, integrated, worldwide network of aviation technology experts. From professional training to carrier launch; from sensor data to precision targeting; from aircraft and weapons development to successful deployment; from real-time communication to aircraft recovery NAVAIR provides dominant combat effects and matchless capabilities to the American warfighter.

For more information about the AESA radar please contact Denise Deon Wilson, Public Affairs Officer for PEO-T at 301-481-6263 or [email protected].

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