Raytheon development of small missile for UAVs, vehicles, and surface ships continues with $85 million Griffin buy

EGLIN AFB, Fla., 20 May 2012. Engineers at the Raytheon Co. Missile Systems segment in Tucson, Ariz., are moving ahead with a project to deploy a small missile called Griffin on unmanned aerial vehicles, ground vehicles, surface ships, and utility aircraft with an $85 million U.S. Air Force contract awarded Friday for Raytheon to build 22 all-up Griffin missiles and 43 telemetry rounds for Griffin tests. Raytheon developed the 45-pound Griffin missile internally in response to needs for missiles smaller and producing less collateral damage than the Hellfire. The Griffin guidance system combines inertial sensors and GPS guidance, as well as a semi-active laser seeker. Its warhead is a 13-pound blast-fragmentation explosive, which is strong enough to destroy soft targets such as ground vehicles and radar sites. Friday’s contract from the Air Force Air Armament Center at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., calls for Raytheon to build 22 full-capability Griffin missiles, as well as 43 telemetry rounds, which Air Force experts will use for further Griffin testing. The Griffin missile comes in two versions: the Griffin-A deployed from Gunslinger tubes on the rear ramps of versions of C-130 aircraft; and the Griffin-B that can be launched from ground vehicles or fixed land sites, and surface ships, as […]
Raytheon development of small missile for UAVs, vehicles, and surface ships continues with $85 million Griffin buy