Raytheon Expands Its Maritime Influence Worldwide
Marty Kauchak*
This March 14, Alan Davis, the program manager for short-range defense innovations at Raytheon’s Missile Systems division, briefed SDArabia’s US reporter Marty Kauchak about Raytheon’s accelerating activities in the novel Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) Block 2 initiative and its expanding collaboration with Abu Dhabi Shipbuilding Company (ADSB).
RAM Block 2 represents an upgrade in kinematics and RF receiver of the legacy-era Block 1/1A missile. The Block 1 series is part of the naval arsenals of eight countries, including the UAE’s.
In May 2015, the US Navy announced initial operational readiness (IOR) for RAM Block 2.
IOR enables Raytheon to produce the Block 2 missile at a modest initial production rate, which also allows the Block 2 industrial consortium to address production challenges. “I anticipate we’ll enter full-rate manufacturing by the fiscal year 2020,” Davis forecasted.
While the memorandum of understanding between the US and German governments regarding RAM Block 2 stipulates a collaborative sharing of development expenses for the new missile, it also allows for a work-sharing division between US and German industries. Therefore, Raytheon is collaborating with the German company RAMSYS on RAM Block 2. Davis noted, “We typically utilized the same supplier network we had for Block 1 in the development of this program.”
The Block 2 missile presents enhanced combat capabilities compared to the Block 1 series.
For instance, this new missile showcases a kinematic enhancement. Kinematics is a term employed by the military-industrial coalition to describe the missile’s agility, allowing it to engage targets more swiftly and at greater distances—exceeding the earlier Block 1. When prompted to quantify the operational advancements of Block 2 versus Block 1, the industry expert remarked, “I can affirm we have more than two and a half times the capability regarding maneuverability and ‘end game effect’.”
Moreover, an upgraded RF receiver enables detection of anti-ship missiles which employ low probability of intercept technology.
The RAM missile defends both enormous aircraft carriers and the world’s smallest vessels: https://t.co/GBS6CbqP0h #DIMDEX pic.twitter.com/Noz21QENi0
— Raytheon (@Raytheon) March 31, 2016
Although the US and German governments are the initial Block 2 clients, other Block 1 operators are seen as potential Block 2 end users. Beyond that, “We are already noting interest from additional customers across the Middle East, North Africa, Pacific Asia, and Europe for Block 2. Clearly, as the US government continues to deploy Block 2 and it reaches IOC, we anticipate allied nations will follow suit,” Davis stated.
The eagerness of a MENA navy to incorporate Block 2 into a vessel’s weapons arsenal comes as no shock to Davis, considering the ongoing turmoil in the region’s coastal areas. He further emphasized, “Numerous potential clients, particularly in the Gulf states, are considering acquiring corvettes and various types of vessels for safeguarding their shores and enhancing regional stability. RAM offers them a distinct capability against anti-ship missiles, helicopters, aircraft, and surface vessels. Notably, its primary feature is the ability to engage multiple threats concurrently.” RAM’s threat capabilities encompass countering both subsonic and supersonic targets.
The extensive 2016 RAM testing protocol roadmap also stipulates US firings of over 70 missiles, involving a combination of Block 1 and 2 variants, to ensure the weapons family remains effective against diverse threats and conditions.
In another update, Raytheon Missile Systems and Abu Dhabi Ship Building (ADSB) are now in their tenth year of collaboration, which commenced in 2006 when both companies began to integrate RAMs onto the UAE’s Baynunah-class vessels.
Raytheon collaborates with ADSB to install RAMs and launchers, as well as Evolved SeaSparrow Missiles, onto the UAE’s Baynunah-class corvettes and other maritime vessels.
Davis reflected that the partnership is predicated on Raytheon’s commitment “to assist the Emiratis with the industrial development of the UAE,” and added, “Our collaboration with ADSB has empowered us to ensure the navy is equipped with some of the most sophisticated ship defense systems available.”
While at first glance, ten years might seem substantial, the industry subject matter authority continued, “I believe we are merely at the dawn of that partnership. Considering the prospective shipbuilding initiatives they have outlined, we anticipate a long-term engagement with ADSB. We will certainly continue to support them and stand by them during their times of necessity, given the operations they are undertaking. Most importantly, we aim not only to make ADSB successful but also to enhance the UAE Navy and its industrial base.”
SDArabia’s US correspondent
