TUCSON, Ariz., July 22 /PRNewswire/ -- The Republic of Korea Air Force
(ROKAF) signed two U.S. government Letters of Acceptance June 12 authorizing
procurement of Raytheon Company's (NYSE: RTN) AIM-120C Advanced Medium Air-to-
Air Missile (AMRAAM) and AIM-9X Sidewinder Missiles, which will be employed by
their newest fighter, the F-15K. This decision carries with it a value in
excess of $110 million and marks the first international sale of AIM-9X.
In addition, Raytheon is providing the ROKAF with its fire control radar
-- the APG-63 (V) 1 -- which is also the first international sale of that
radar.
"I'm extremely pleased that the ROKAF was the first international air
force to select AIM-9X," said Navy Capt. Dave Venlet, the Naval Air Systems
Command program manager for Air-to-Air Missile Systems. "Being equipped with
threat superior counterair capability is vital to the Republic of Korea and to
the U.S. Procurement and delivery of AIM-9X will assure dogfight dominance
and enable interoperability."
Ten potential international customers have expressed interest in the AIM-
9X, and other nations have made official inquiries to the United States
government about possible procurement to fill their future short-range missile
requirements. Raytheon delivered its first production AIM-9X missile to the
U.S. Government on May 1, four months ahead of schedule. That delivery marked
the beginning of an 18-year production plan to provide revolutionary dogfight
capability to the U.S. and allied warfighters. Raytheon expects to produce
more than 10,000 missiles to be split between the Navy and Air Force and more
than 5,000 for international customers.
"This is truly a great day for our company, the air-to-air product line,
and especially our people," said Charles D. Anderson, vice president of
Raytheon Missile System's air-to-air product line. "We are proud to deliver
the advanced air to air capabilities of AMRAAM and AIM-9X to the ROKAF.
Delivering the most advanced and affordable weapons to our customers is what
we are all about."
South Korea is among 25 nations that currently use AMRAAM as their beyond-
visual-range (BVR) weapon of choice. The latest variant of AMRAAM, the AIM-
120C5, incorporates lethality and range improvements for an increase in
capability over earlier versions. The AIM-120C5 is also configured with
clipped fins for internal carriage requirements on such platforms as the Joint
Strike Fighter (JSF) and the F-22.
"The signing of the AMRAAM LOA continues to enhance coalition warfare and
interoperability between the U.S. and her allies," said Col. Jim Knox, the
Counterair Joint Systems Program Office (JSPO) acting program director.
"AMRAAM is the free world's air-to-air weapon of choice, and together with
Raytheon, we will continue to deliver on our commitments to the U.S. and
allied warfighters."
AMRAAM is fully operational on the F-15, F-16, F/A-18, the German F4F, the
UK Sea Harrier, Swedish JA-37 Viggen and the JAS-39 Gripen. It is currently
being integrated on the F-22, Eurofighter, Harrier II Plus, Tornado and the
Joint Strike Fighter. AMRAAM has also been adapted to a surface-to-air role
for air defense and is operational in Norway as the Norwegian Advanced
Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) and has been demonstrated in a HAWK-
AMRAAM system and on a High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV)-
based system called HUMRAAM.
The U.S. Marine Corps awarded a contract to Raytheon in 2001 for its
version of HUMRAAM, called Complementary Low Altitude Weapons System (CLAWS),
which will be introduced into operational service by 2005. The U.S. Army has
formalized an Operational Requirements Document (ORD) for a HUMRAAM system,
called Surface Launch AMRAAM (SLAMRAAM). The surface-launched AMRAAM market
potential is estimated at more than 5,000 missiles over the next 10 years.
With headquarters in Lexington, Mass., Raytheon Company is a global
technology leader in defense, government and commercial electronics, and
business aircraft.
Note to Editors: This was also released today at the Farnborough Air Show
in the United Kingdom.
Contact:
Sara Hammond
520.794.7810
SOURCE Raytheon Company
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Related links:
http://www.raytheon.com
CONTACT:
Sara Hammond of Raytheon Company,
+1-520-794-7810
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