Raytheon [RTN] said it achieved Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP) in its Stunner missile interceptor program after receiving a $30 million contract from Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.
The contract, issued Dec. 13, is for continued development of the Stunner interceptor, according to a Jan. 9 Raytheon statement. Raytheon will also use the funding for fabrication of the missile’s subsystem hardware, including safety devices and guidance electronics.
Raytheon Vice President of Advanced Security and Directed Energy Systems Mike Booen said the company has refined the technology enough to advance to LRIP.
“We have been jointly developing this missile for four years now (and) we finally got to the point where the system is mature enough to get to LRIP,” Boone said in a phone interview. “Rafael got the LRIP from the government of Israel and then we got our half from Rafael so that we can start delivering these missiles.”
Booen said the next step after this initial LRIP contract, which will be executed over the next 18 months, is the actual full-rate production decision. He also envisions Raytheon approaching the United States about purchasing the Stunner.
“Next step, given the affordability of this system, (is a) significant effort to sell these missiles to the U.S. as well,” Booen said. “This would make great business sense because American taxpayers have put a lot of money into this program and the Stunner may make good sense to become a U.S. defensive system as well.”
Booen said South Korea is also a potential market for Raytheon, given its proximity to the North Korean missile threat.
Stunner is the missile part of the David’s Sling weapon system, which is being jointly developed by Raytheon and Rafael. David’s Sling also includes a missile firing unit, a radar developed by the Israeli company Tadiran, and a battle manager.
According to a Raytheon statement, Stunner is designed to defeat a variety of short-range ballistic missiles, large caliber rockets and cruise missiles. Stunner is also designed to provide “hit-to-kill” performance at a tactical missile price.
“A lot of the weapon systems that have come out of the ballistic missile defense effort are fairly expensive because they use high technology to solve a very, very tough problem,” Booen said. “Hitting a bullet with a bullet is a tough problem.”
Because of the expense of firing many missiles, countries just don’t want to indiscriminately shoot off all their expensive missiles at “dumb” targets, as Booen put it.
“That is what we have tried to design here,” Booen said. “From day one working with the Missile Defense Agency and the Israel missile defense organization, to come up with a really affordable solution to shooting down the lower end of scud missiles and those types of missiles.”