麻豆传媒映画

Tucson-based Raytheon Missile Systems is one of the world鈥檚 largest , so it only makes sense that the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) would award them a contract to develop the most advanced missile yet.

The contract, worth $63.3 million, will allow Raytheon Missile Systems to develop Tactical Boost Glide, DARPA鈥檚 hypersonic weapons program. These weapons, as described by Raytheon Public Relations Director John Patterson, 鈥渁re the new frontier of the missile business 鈥� the next best thing.鈥�

A Tactical Boost Glide weapon is one that can attain velocities greater than Mach 5, which translates to over 3800 miles per hour; to put that into perspective, these weapons can travel over a mile per second.

Patterson notes that although these missiles won鈥檛 be utilized very often, it is important that the military has access to them. 鈥淲hen our adversaries are perfecting these kinds of solutions, it鈥檚 imperative that the U.S. matches or exceeds these kinds of weaponry,鈥� Patterson said. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 always need to push the button for a Mach 5 weapon, but if you need a weapon that would travel that fast, then this gives you the ability to do that.鈥�

Raytheon has an annual economic impact of roughly $2.1 billion in Arizona and employs almost 12,000 people; in fact, it is Southern Arizona鈥檚 largest private employer. In addition to keeping the country safe from potential dangers, the new contract will help Raytheon Missile Systems to expand their company and increase their economic impact. 聽

鈥淏ecause of these hypersonic contract wars that we鈥檙e winning, we鈥檙e adding new infrastructure, buildings, production facilities, and people in order to develop this,鈥� Patterson said. 鈥淲e can鈥檛 really say how many people, but we鈥檙e hiring engineers mainly to help us develop these weapons. Because they鈥檙e traveling so fast, it鈥檚 going to require new kinds of engineers to help these missiles guide accurately.鈥�

Patterson emphasizes that this new contract, like many contracts that Raytheon pursues, is complex. But Raytheon is eager to take on the challenge and improve the country鈥檚 national security. 鈥淭his is a new area; it鈥檚 difficult engineering,鈥� he notes. 鈥淏ut Raytheon willingly takes on the Department of Defense鈥檚 hardest problems and solves them.鈥�