ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, Feb. 22, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Raytheon Company (NYSE:
RTN) has begun development on an extended range variant of the combat-proven Advanced Medium Range Air to Air Missile
(AMRAAM®). Designed specifically for ground-based air defense, AMRAAM-ER will enable intercepts at longer range and higher altitudes.
"With AMRAAM-ER, Raytheon is rewriting the book on ground-based air defense. The new missile will be even faster and more maneuverable than the current AMRAAM," said Mike Jarrett, Raytheon vice president of Air Warfare Systems. "By leveraging many existing AMRAAM components, Raytheon can deliver AMRAAM-ER quickly and affordably with very low risk."
Raytheon will integrate AMRAAM-ER into the
NASAMS launcher.
NASAMS is the latest and most modern Medium Range Air Defense system. In partnership with KONGSBERG, Raytheon has delivered more than 70 fire units to seven countries. It is the most commonly used Short and Medium Range Air Defense System in NATO.
"Combined with the NASAMS launcher, AMRAAM-ER will provide a new level of protection to customers," said Ralph Acaba, vice president of Integrated Air and Missile Defense at Raytheon's Integrated Defense Systems business. "NASAMS is one of the most easily manned, trained, and maintained systems in the world."
Fielded in Norway for more than a decade, NASAMS is operationally deployed in the U.S. National Capital Region, Spain, Finland, the Netherlands, and an undisclosed country. It is also in production for Oman under a contract received last year.
Raytheon plans to flight test AMRAAM-ER before the end of the year.
