Raytheon Delivers 2,000th Tomahawk Block IV Cruise Missile to U.S. Navy

February 25, 2010 by Jeffrey Bradford · View Comments
Filed under: Raytheon, Syndicated Industry News 
Raytheon Delivers 2,000th Tomahawk Block IV Cruise Missile to U.S. Navy
February 25, 2010

TUCSON, Ariz., -- In a significant production milestone, Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) delivered the 2,000th Tomahawk Block IV cruise missile to the U.S. Navy.

"Tomahawk Block IV provides the Navy with a combat-proven weapon that plays a critical role in hybrid warfare operations," said Capt. Dave Davison, the U.S. Navy's program manager for the Tomahawk weapon system. "The Navy's receipt of the 2,000th Tomahawk Block IV provides the commander with a powerful tactical weapon to shape the battlespace and prosecute time-critical targets."

Tomahawk Block IV's technologies provide a tactical capability while reducing acquisition, operation and support costs. Tomahawk Block IV employs a two-way satellite datalink that enables a strike controller to flex the missile in flight to preprogrammed alternate targets or redirect it to a new target. This targeting flexibility includes the capability to loiter over the battlefield and await a more critical target.

"The Tomahawk program continues to provide the U.S. Navy with the capability to project precision firepower across the breadth and depth of the battlespace while delivering unprecedented flexibility to the commander," said Harry Schulte, vice president of Raytheon's Air Warfare Systems product line. "With the dedication of our employees and suppliers, the Tomahawk program has set the standard in cruise missile capability."

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Successful Test of Lockheed Martin’s Joint Air-To-Surface Standoff Missile Validates Missile Upgrades

February 2, 2010 by Jeffrey Bradford · View Comments
Filed under: Lockheed Martin, Syndicated Industry News 
Successful Test of Lockheed Martin’s Joint Air-To-Surface Standoff Missile Validates Missile Upgrades
2/1/2010 4:17:00 PM

Orlando, FL, February 1st, 2010 -- A Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) underwent a successful Product Upgrade Verification (PUV) flight test on January 12 at White Sands Missile Range, NM. The missile was released from a B-52 aircraft and successfully navigated through a preplanned route before destroying its intended target.

The primary test objectives of this flight were to provide final validation of a new missile control unit, recently upgraded actuator control electronics and a digital engine controller. The upgrades enhance missile performance and eliminate the risk of future component obsolescence.

“This flight test continues our successful efforts to expand missile capability and demonstrate reliability,” said Alan Jackson, JASSM program director at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. “Flight validation of JASSM upgraded electronic subassemblies allows us to proceed with JASSM production well into the next decade.”

JASSM is ahead of schedule to meet the new goal of 90 percent reliability by Lot 11. JASSM-Extended Range (ER), the longer range version of JASSM, has a 100 percent success rate. The ER system is 6 for 6 in flight tests.

JASSM continues to be a critical weapon for the U.S. Air Force, with the eighth production lot under contract toward a total objective of 4,900 JASSMs and JASSM-ER. The baseline JASSM is also being produced for foreign military sale. Its ability to be integrated on multiple aircraft has been successfully demonstrated on the B-1, B-2, B-52 and F-16 aircraft. Future platforms include the F-15E, F/A-18 and F-35.

The missile is produced at Lockheed Martin’s award-winning manufacturing facility in Troy, AL. Lockheed Martin has assembled approximately 960 JASSM missiles in Troy since late 1999 for testing and for operational use.

A 2,000-pound class weapon with a penetrator/blast fragmentation warhead, JASSM cruises autonomously in adverse weather, day or night, using a state-of-the-art infrared seeker in addition to the anti-jam GPS to find a specific aimpoint on the target. Its stealthy airframe makes it extremely difficult to defeat.

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