Raytheon Wins Contract for Weapon Guidance

The US Air Force has awarded Raytheon Co. of Waltham, Mass., the maximum available share of three competitive contracts for the production of Paveway II laser-guided bomb components. The contracts include a 70 percent share of the fiscal 2004 bomb procurements for the US Air Force and Navy worth $116 million, and a stand-alone agreement to provide front-end guidance units to the Air Force.

Fabricated for air-to-ground warfare, the Paveway bomb system incorporates computer control technology that detects and guides the unit to a target illuminated by an external laser source. The control group that Raytheon will deliver is upgradable to the company's dual-mode (laser and global positioning system) Enhanced Paveway II systems. The components will be produced mainly at Raytheon plants in Tucson, Ariz., and Sherman, Texas.