Defence-Blog:
The U.S. Naval Sea Systems Command has awarded $149 million to development of Standard Missile-2 Block IIIC surface-to-air missile.
The contract, announced Friday by the Department of Defense, is covers engineering, manufacturing, and development improved Block IIIC variant of the Standard Missile-2 (SM-2).
According to a statement, Raytheon Missile Systems is awarded a $149,435,507 cost-plus-incentive contract and expected that work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona (85 percent); Wolverhampton, England (6 percent); East Aurora, New York (6 percent); Middletown, Ohio (2 percent); and Englewood, Colorado (1 percent).
The SM-2 Block IIIC is a new variant featuring an active radar seeker and is expected to be deployed by the U.S. Navy surface fleet by October 2022.
New missile system will incorporate the active homing seeker of the SM-6 ERAM into the existing SM-2 airframe. This produces a medium-range missile that can be fired against targets using tactical data supplied from off-board sensors fitted with the Navy’s new Cooperative Engagement Capability , whether fixed radars ashore or the E-2D Hawkeye airborne early warning aircraft embarked aboard U.S. carriers.
