TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – RTX (formerly Raytheon Technologies) is set to upgrade Taiwan’s early warning radar (EWR), the U.S government said last week.

The arms manufacturer was awarded a sole source contract to provide track enhancement software upgrades for Taiwan's main EWR, on top of Hsinchu County’s Leshan (樂山), according to a U.S. government press release. 

RTX is the only company able to meet government requirements, as it is the “primary lead integrator and the Original Equipment Manufacturer for the already purchased EWR capability,” the government said.

The upgrade is expected to last 18 months. The release did not mention an estimated cost. 

The EWR in question is a Cold War-era AN/FPS-115 PAVE PAWS, which Taiwan purchased from the U.S. in 2000. The U.S. approved the sale in 2004 for NT$57.66 billion (US$1.8 billion) and it became operational in February 2013. 

The radar is at an altitude of 2,620 meters and can detect missiles fired 5,000 km away.