Raytheon has finished the development testing phase for its Small Diameter Bomb II technology and started integrating the weapon on F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and F/A-18E/F Super Hornet planes. The company said Thursday fighter pilots dropped and assessed 44 SDB II units to destroy maneuvering targets during the test. “SDB II can eliminate a wider range of targets with fewer […] More

Raytheon has manufactured the first batch of precision bombs designed to help U.S. Air Force pilots recognize targets at a range of more than 40 miles. The company said Wednesday it completed lot 1 Small Diameter Bomb II production and received follow-on contracts to produce the next two lots. “SDB II does much more than hit GPS coordinates; it […] More

Raytheon and Norwegian defense contractor Kongsberg Gruppen have completed a series of flight tests of a missile system designed for integration with Lockheed Martin‘s F-35A fighter jets. An F-16 aircraft was used to launch the Joint Strike Missile at an altitude of 22,000 feet over the training and test range in Utah, Kongsberg said Tuesday. Mike […] More

Raytheon has received approval from the U.S. Navy to start the full-rate production of the company’s infrared air-to-air missile. The company will build and deliver the AIM-9X Sidewinder Block II missile to the Navy, Air Force and some of the U.S.’ international partners, Raytheon said Thursday. “An updated electronics package gives the missile features significant enhancements, like the […] More

The U.S. Army has test-fired a Raytheon-built missile from the service branch’s land-based Indirect Fire Protection Capability Increment 2-I Block 1 Multi-Mission Launcher. The test sought to evaluate the capability of AIM-9X Block II missile to intercept and destroy unmanned aircraft systems and other aerial targets when launched from the ground, Raytheon said Wednesday. Mike Jarrett, […] More

Military personnel from four U.S. partner nations demonstrated Raytheon-made combat missiles from air and ground platforms at Sweden’s Vidsel test range in September. Raytheon said Monday Norwegian, Swiss, Turkish and Finnish armed forces launched five AIM-120C7 medium range air-to-air missiles during the Thor’s Hammer exercise. The AMRAAMs hit their targets after they were fired from […] More

Raytheon and the U.S. Navy have evaluated new software upgrades to the Tomahawk weapon system in a series of flight tests. The Tomahawk Block IV engaged its target at the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, China Lake weapons range after it launched from the USS Hampton submarine and redirected by a strike controller from a maritime command center, Raytheon said Wednesday. The […] More

Raytheon has demonstrated a new multi-function processor for weapon systems through its own research and development funding. A Tomahawk Block IV missile aboard a T-39 aircraft was embedded with the modular processor to monitor and destroy radio-frequency-emitting objects, Raytheon said Monday. “We have assessed our company-funded multi-mission processor at Technical Readiness Level 6, enabling it to […] More

The U.S. Navy has started operational use of a naval weapon system that includes a Raytheon-built missile built to safeguard patrol vessels against smaller adversarial boats. The MK-60 Patrol Coastal Griffin Missile System combines Raytheon’s AGM-176A technology with the Navy’s launch and battle management platforms, Raytheon said Tuesday. Mike Jarrett, vice president for air warfare […] More

The Norwegian defense ministry has demonstrated an anti-ship missile system developed by a partnership of Raytheon and Norway-based Kongsberg Gruppen. Raytheon said Monday the ministry test-fired the Joint Strike Missile from an F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft to showcase the weapon’s ability to shift in course and avoid decoy targets as it flew at a low altitude. The […] More

Raytheon has teamed up with Ducommun to develop fire control platforms for the Naval Strike Missile designed for integration with U.S. Navy frigates and littoral combat ships. Production work on the fire control systems is slated to commence later this year at Ducommun’s facilities in Huntsville and Berryville in Arkansas, Raytheon said Monday. NSM is a long-range, […] More

Raytheon and the U.S. Navy have delivered the 4,000th unit of the company’s cruise missile platform, built to perform precision strike missions, to the naval fleet. The company said Tuesday that the Tomahawk Block IV cruise missiles have a capacity to circle around a target for hours, shift course while in flight as well as engage […] More