Tucson-based Raytheon Missiles & Defense has won a contract potentially worth up to $375 million to develop a small aircraft self-defense missile for the U.S. Air Force.
Raytheon will develop the Miniature Self-Defense Munition, a guided missile designed to defend against drones, aircraft and other missiles, over three years under a contract awarded by the Air Force Research Laboratory.
The contract provides for the research and development of a βflight-test ready missileβ by October 2023, according to a Defense Department contract notice this week.
Raytheon was awarded an initial task order worth $93.4 million, and $26.7 million in 2020 research funding was obligated, the Pentagon said.
Raytheon was among two bidders for the program; Lockheed Martin reportedly was the other bidder.
A spokesman for Raytheon would not comment on the contract award, referring questions to the Air Force.
The Air Force did not immediately respond to a request for details of the program, which are considered classified according to budget documents that show a request for proposals was issued last October.
In 2016, the Air Force Research Lab awarded Raytheon a contract worth up to $14 million to develop concepts for two small missiles, the Small Advanced Capability Missile (SACM) and the Miniature Self-Defense Munition, with the work to be completed by January 2021.
Last September, Raytheon announced that it had internally developed a new air-to-air missile called the Peregrine, which was said to be faster and more maneuverable than Raytheonβs Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) at half the size and weight.
A widely circulated image from the Air Force Research Lab shows the Miniature Self-Defense Munition is about 1 meter long, about a third of the length of an AMRAAM.
Raytheonβs Tucson operation already makes about 20 weapon systems besides the AMRAAM, including the Tomahawk cruise missile, the Sidewinder air-combat missile and the Standard Missile series of missile defense interceptors.
