Raytheon continues Improved Small Tactical Munition testing

18th August 2011 - 11:52 GMT | by The Shephard News Team

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Raytheon Company completed laboratory integration and testing of its Small Tactical Munition Phase II configuration, setting the stage for flight tests later this year.

STM Phase II is a new 12-pound, 21.5-inch long, precision-guided, gravity-dropped bomb specifically designed for employment from manned and unmanned aircraft systems, and is the smallest air-launched weapon in the Raytheon portfolio.

"STM Phase II was designed from the ground up to blend lethality and extreme precision with affordability, making it highly attractive to the warfighter," said Bob Francois, vice president of Advanced Missiles and Unmanned Systems for Raytheon Missile Systems. "STM is part of Raytheon's broad portfolio of air-launched weapons and is easy to use because it's designed for rapid integration and engineered for improved operator system interface and flexibility in loadout."

STM Phase II is more than two inches shorter than the Phase I design and has foldable fins and wings, enabling employment from the US military's common launch tube. STM Phase II incorporates a new, purpose-built warhead designed by Nammo-Talley, and features a Kaman Aerospace enhanced electronic safe arm device. STM Phase II's easier assembly will make the system simpler to manufacture on a large scale.

Source: Raytheon