The U.S. Missile Defense Agency has selected Raytheon Missiles & Defense to continue to develop a first-of-its-kind counter-hypersonic missile, the Glide Phase Interceptor. GPI is designed to intercept hypersonic weapons in the glide phase of flight, providing the U.S. and allies with an additional layer of defense against regional hypersonic missile threats. This firm fixed price Other Transaction Agreement modification, valued at $41 million, increases the total value to $62 million and allows Raytheon Missiles & Defense to continue maturing its GPI design using advanced materials and technology required to intercept a hypersonic threat. This phase will also finalize systems requirements and support accelerated development timelines.
“Our GPI is built on proven missile defense technology as its foundation. By using digital engineering and leveraging high technology readiness level components and subsystems already in use across Standard Missile and hypersonic programs, we can quickly advance the creation of this new interceptor,” said Tay Fitzgerald, president of Strategic Missile Defense at Raytheon Missiles & Defense.
The Glide Phase Interceptor program is crucial to the agency’s future work defending against hypersonic missile threats and would target hypersonic missiles during the glide phase of flight. The Missile Defense Agency is working on a wide array of missile tracking sensors and defeat capabilities to build a “layered” defense against incoming ballistic and hypersonic missiles. As part of that, the agency is developing another program, the Next-Generation Interceptor, geared toward defeating Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs). One of the core focus areas for MDA is the defense of Guam, a key island in the Pacific home to US military capabilities including long-range fires and powerful radars like Aegis Ashore.
Raytheon Missiles & Defense is leveraging mature technologies from across the current portfolio to create efficiencies, reduce qualification time and demonstrate the GPI capability as quickly as possible. Raytheon Technologies’ missile defense portfolio combines sensors, interceptors and command and control networks to track and defeat a wide range of threats. With more than 50 years of combat proven interceptor development, integration, and production experience, the company is responsible for portions of nearly every air and missile defense system deployed by the U.S. and its allies. By evolving its missile interceptors, directed energy and cyber technologies, Raytheon Technologies is advancing counter-hypersonic solutions.
