Raytheon [RTN] said it is developing a variant of its air-to-air missile system known as AMRAAM that will operate from the ground with extended range with a capability of reaching higher altitudes.
Raytheon is calling the system AMRAAM-ER and said the new system will be faster and more maneuverable than its airborne system and will leverage the existing capabilities in AMRAAM.
“With AMRAAM-ER, Raytheon is rewriting the book on ground-based air defense,” said Mike Jarrett, the company’s vice president of air warfare systems.
AMRAAM-ER will operate with the Norwegian Advanced Surface to Air Missile System (NASAMS) as the launcher. Kongeberg is the manufacturer of NASAMS.
“NASAMS is one of the most easily manned, trained, and maintained systems in the world,” said Ralph Acaba, vice president of integrated air and missile defense at Raytheon.
Raytheon plans to flight test AMRAAM-ER before the end of the year, the company said.