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DALLAS and TUCSON: NetFires LLC, a company composed of Raytheon Company's Missile Systems and Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, successfully conducted a container cover design verification test for the Non Line-of-Sight-Launch System Precision Attack Missile at the White Sands Missile Range, N.M. The container cover test met all primary and secondary objectives.
“The Precision Attack Missile all-up-round design verification test of the container cover represents another significant milestone for both the U.S. Army Future Combat Systems Spinout 1 system and the U.S. Navy's Littoral Combat Ship weaponization goals,” said Col. Doug Dever, Non Line-of-Sight- Launch System project manager.
The Non Line-of-Sight-Launch System consists of Raytheon's Precision Attack Missile and a Container Launch Unit. In 2004, the Army accelerated fielding of the Non Line-of-Sight-Launch System Precision Attack Missile and the Container Launch Unit to the Army's Evaluation Brigade Combat Team into Spinout 1 in fiscal year 2008.
In August 2006, the Navy selected Non Line-of-Sight-Launch System's Precision Attack Missile and the Container Launch Unit as the Littoral Combat Ship's premier engagement capability against surface threats such as small moving boats. The Navy expects to build more than 50 Littoral Combat Ships; the first are scheduled for commissioning in fiscal year 2008.
“The successful Precision Attack Missile all-up-round container cover test is just one more example of the demonstrated technical maturity of the Non Line-of-Sight-Launch System Precision Attack Missile and the Container Launch Unit,” said Scott Speet, executive vice president of the NetFires LLC and Raytheon's Non Line-of-Sight-Launch System program director. “The ability of the Precision Attack Missile and the Container Launch Unit to meet both the Army and Navy performance requirements is a credit to the design team and the close system engineering work between the Netfires LLC and our joint Army and Navy customers.”
Non Line-of-Sight-Launch System provides a commander with immediate, precise and responsive fires on high-payoff targets with real-time target acquisition and battle effects. The Precision Attack Missile is a direct attack missile that is effective against moving and stationary targets on land and sea at ranges from zero to approximately 27 miles. The missile includes a networked data link that provides in-flight updates to each missile with ground, sea and airborne sensor nodes and has a large multi-mode warhead effective against both hard and soft targets.
Raytheon Company, with 2005 sales of $21.9 billion, is an industry leader in defense and government electronics, space, information technology, technical services, and business and special mission aircraft. With headquarters in Waltham, Mass., Raytheon employs 80,000 people worldwide.
Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin employs about 140,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported 2005 sales of $37.2 billion.
