Raytheon to develop what could be military’s next-generation missile propulsion system
The company said the compact engine would increase range and speed capabilities over what’s currently being used, making for quick response to advanced threats.
DARPA said the two-phase Gambit program is focused on developing RDEs as a new class of propulsion.
A rotating detonation engine is less complex than a gas turbine engine, with no moving parts, according to the Air Force Research Lab. It burns fuel through a supersonically traveling detonation wave that delivers high performance in a small volume, the lab said.
The contract calls for iterative development of performance models and incremental system tests. A future phase will lead up to a flight-weight free-jet test.
Raytheon radar system passes tests
Separately, RTX also this month announced that Raytheon’s Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor, or LTAMDS, completed milestone tests that proved the radar’s design and performance effectiveness.
The LTAMDS will be the Army’s next generation air and missile defense radar and is expected to add performance against threats such as manned and unmanned aircraft as well as cruise, ballistic and hypersonic missiles.
The tests, which are part of a 2019 contract, took place at the U.S. Army’s White Sands Missile Range, where multiple radars were used in increasingly complex tests meant to put stress on the system, which was connected to the Army’s Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command.
In all, 11 mission sets were completed, including searching and tracking drones, fixed-wing and rotary aircraft, and surrogate cruise missiles and tactical ballistic missiles (or TBM). The system was also used to communicate with a PAC-3 missile and in a simulated engagement against a TBM.
“The strong performance of LTAMDS at this stage of testing is a critical milestone on the path to achieving an operational capability level by the end of this year,” said Tom Laliberty, president of Land & Air Defense Systems at Raytheon. “The progress made to date is a testament to our collaborative partnership with the U.S. Army and our shared commitment to getting this exceptional capability to air defense forces around the globe as soon as possible.”
The contract project includes six radars, and testing will continue throughout this year and into next year, with full operational capability expected in 2024.
Other Raytheon contracts
Here’s a rundown of other missile contracts and modification Raytheon’s Arizona operation has won in recent weeks:
- Raytheon was awarded an $85,663,955 cost-plus-fixed-fee and firm-fixed-price contract on Sept. 29 from the U.S. Navy for Standard Missile depot and intermediate level repair and maintenance and provisioned items ordered spares. Options on the contract could bring its total value to $259,478,826.
- Raytheon was awarded a $74,800,000 fixed price contract modification on Sept. 29 for additional tooling, equipment and labor to increase the production capacity of AIM-9X missiles for the U.S. Navy, Air Force, Army and foreign military partners.
- Raytheon announced a $38,891,067 contract modification on Sept. 29 from the Navy for procurement of components for systems to support Standard Missile-6 production requirements.
- Also on Sept. 29, Raytheon was awarded a $9,897,098 million contract modification for spares in support of the AN/SPY-6(V) radar program. Most of this work will happen outside of Arizona, but 10% will take place in Scottsdale.
- Raytheon on Sept. 28 won a $74,807,572 contract from the Navy for Standard Missiles 2 and 6 engineering and technical support. The contract includes options that could bring its value to $378,588,566 million.
- On Sept. 12, Raytheon was awarded an Other Transaction Authority agreement from the Army with a ceiling of $418,339,008 for Stinger missile upgrades and replacement, with a completion date of March 12, 2028.