Raytheon Completes Fifth Small Diameter Bomb II Tri-Mode Seeker in New Factory

Washington DC (SPX) Aug 18, 2011 -Raytheon has built the fifth Small Diameter Bomb II seeker in its new factory expressly designed to assemble integrated tri-mode seekers.

"Raytheon is the only company building integrated tri-mode seekers on a 'hot' production line and we're doing it less than a year after contract award," said Harry Schulte, vice president of Air Warfare Systems for Raytheon Missile Systems.

"Producing seekers in an active factory is one of the reasons Raytheon can keep its commitment to deliver SDB II to the warfighter on cost and on schedule."

SDB II's seeker fuses millimeter-wave radar, uncooled imaging infrared and semiactive laser sensors on a single gimbal. The result is a powerful integrated seeker that seamlessly shares targeting information between modes, enabling the weapon to engage fixed or moving targets around the clock in adverse weather conditions.

"Building integrated tri-mode seekers is much more complicated than just putting together three unrelated sensors, and our fifth build proves Raytheon is the only company with the technical expertise to manufacture integrated tri-mode seekers," said Tom White, Raytheon's SDB II program director.

"We're meeting predicted component build times, and as we continue to mature the program, we will find other efficiencies and cost savings we will pass on to the customer."