Non-Subscriber Extract
First SeaRAM outfit set for LCS
- Article Tools
| 30 September 2005 |
By Nick Brown, Editor of Jane’s Navy International
The inaugural installation of Raytheon and Diehl's advanced SeaRAM air-defence system will see a single weapon mount fitted to LCS 02, the General Dynamics-led Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) team's first vessel, an industry source has revealed to JNI.
Raytheon originally submitted its own LCS design, but was knocked out of the competition when the US Navy narrowed down the bidding to the Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics teams. This SeaRAM deal will give Raytheon a toehold in both LCS camps as it is already contributing the standard Mk 31 RAM to the Lockheed Martin bid, LCS 01.
While the Mk 31 is purely a launcher for the RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile and is reliant on a separate warfare and radar system, SeaRAM combines a six-missile launcher box with the same search and track radar as the proven Phalanx close-in weapon system.
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