U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory Contracts with Raytheonfor support
What is known
Raytheon received $21 million.According to the contract, the American company must develop “critical subsystem technologies” by December 15, 2029. The new missiles will replace the AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) and AIM-9X Sidewinder.
The agreement with Raytheon is identical to thatThe US Air Force Research Laboratory signed with Boeing two months ago. But the Virginia-headquartered company must complete the contract by September 2027.
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Also, do not forget that Lockheed Martin is workingover a secret AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile (JATM) aircraft missile. We mentioned it when we wrote about the upcoming upgrade of the F-22 Raptor aircraft. It will be the same size as the AIM-120. The new generation missiles are to fit into the weapons bays of the fifth generation F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II (156” / 396 cm) fighters.
It is possible that Raytheon will offerUS Air Force Research Laboratory its development of Peregrine, which was announced several years ago. The rocket will be about 2 meters long and weigh 25 kg.
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At the time of the announcement, the manufacturer stated thatmodern technologies will make it possible to fit in a compact case a complex of detection and guidance systems. At the same time, Peregrine will have a higher speed in comparison with the missiles that are in service with the United States and allies. Compact dimensions compared to AMRAAM and Sidewinder will increase the ammunition capacity of the fifth generation fighter.