Raytheon has been awarded a $22.7 million modification to a previously awarded contract to add the Phase IIB/IIC tasks for the Multi-Azimuth Defense Fast Intercept Round Engagement System (MAD-FIRES) program.
This brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $50 million. The MAD-FIRES program aims to tackle the evolving and potentially lethal threats to ships and other maritime vessels posed by unmanned vehicles, missiles, small planes, fast in-shore attack craft and other platforms, the US department of defense said in a statement Friday.
The goal of the program is to design and develop technologies associated with a medium-caliber guided projectile that would combine the guidance, precision and accuracy generally afforded by missiles with the speed, rapid-fire capability and large ammunition capacity afforded by bullets. It is scheduled for completion by May 2020.