Arizona Daily Star:
The U.S. Navy has for the first time successfully fired a tactical ship-defense missile made by Tucson-based Raytheon Missile Systems from one of its new coastal combat vessels.
In an Aug. 14 test disclosed by Raytheon on Thursday, the littoral combat ship USS Coronado fired a Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) from a SeaRAM defense system, both produced by Raytheon.
The missile was launched during a live-fire exercise at the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division sea range off the coast of California. The system detected, tracked and engaged an inbound threat and fired a RAM Block 1A missile that successfully intercepted the target, Raytheon said in a news release.
The test marked a major milestone toward full operation and use of the SeaRAM system on U.S. Navy ships, Raytheon said.
The SeaRAM system is a hybrid of Raytheon’s Phalanx close-in weapon system, a rapid-fire, computer-controlled radar and 20mm gun system, and an 11-round missile launcher from the Rolling Airframe Missile, a separate Raytheon system codeveloped with Germany.
In other Raytheon news, the company was awarded a five-year, $100 million Air Force contract to provide production support for the Miniature Air Launched Decoy, the Pentagon said Thursday in a contract notice.
