AIRSHOW-Raytheon to support UK in Sentinel surveillance life extension

FANRBOROUGH, England, July 14 (Reuters) - Raytheon Co (NYSE: RTN - news) , the U.S. maker of radar, missiles and other defence electronics, said it would support the British government's plan to extend the lifetime of its Sentinel surveillance capability by three years.

Britain had proposed retiring the Royal Air Force's Sentinel system from service next year as part of a 2010 defence review which identified a range of cost-saving measures.

Raytheon on Monday gave details of how it would support Britain's Ministry of Defence (MoD) plan to extend Sentinel's lifetime to 2018, which include a number of key investments to maintain its capability and add new ones.

"These improvements include Sentinel's ability to more effectively support surveillance in the maritime domain, through the incorporation of software enhancements to the current dual mode radar, over the next two years," Raytheon UK said in a statement.

Sentinel has been deployed by Britain in Afghanistan, Libya, Mali and Nigeria. (Reporting by Sarah Young; Editing by Mark Potter)