Raytheon Company has booked $320 million this month in new contract awards related to its active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar programs for domestic and international customers.

With active electronic beam scanning, which allows the radar beam to be steered at nearly the speed of light, Raytheon AESA radars optimize situational awareness and provide superior air-to-air and air-to-surface capability.

The agile beam enables the radars to "interleave" in near-real time, so that pilot and crew can use both modes simultaneously.

After designing and building the world's first operational AESA fighter radar, Raytheon has continuously advanced its AESA technology.

More than 300 AESA radar systems have been delivered by Raytheon to customers for multiple platforms worldwide, and have been in service for more than 250,000 operational flight hours.

"Raytheon's AESA radars continue to set the industry standard for performance and reliability," said Mark Kula, vice president, Tactical Airborne Systems, Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems.

"Our solid bookings in 2011 attest to this fact, and we expect to see continued growth in this area."