Raytheon Bags S.Korea’s RAM Guided Missile Deal

The Pentagon awarded Raytheon $18.3 million on Friday for work on South Korea’s Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) Mod 5 Guided Missile Launching System.

“Raytheon Missile Systems, Tucson, Arizona, is awarded an $18.3 million modification to previously awarded contract for fiscal 2020 Navy and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) funds to Korea for Rolling Airframe Missile Mod 5 Guided Missile Launching System requirements. Work and is expected to be complete by December 2022,” the Pentagon said in a statement.

Raytheon’s RAM system is a supersonic, lightweight, quick-reaction, fire-and-forget weapon designed to destroy anti-ship missiles. Requiring no additional direction upon launch, its passive radio frequency and infrared guidance design provide high-firepower capability for engaging multiple threats simultaneously.

Launching system:

The MK 44 guided missile round pack and the MK 49 guided missile launching system, which hold 21 missiles, comprise the MK 31 guided missile weapon system. The system is designed to be easily integrated into many different ships. A variety of existing ship sensors can readily provide the target and pointing information required to engage the anti-ship threat.

The MK 44 missile is also used in the SeaRAM anti-ship missile defense system, replacing the M601A1 Gatling gun in the Phalanx close-in weapon system with an 11-round launcher. The Phalanx system’s sensor suite and internal combat management system reduces dependency on the ship’s combat system and enables a fast reaction to stressing anti-ship missiles. The RAM Block 2 missile has been successfully fired from a SeaRAM system.