As a result of technical problems that have prevented Raytheon from flight testing its Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) prototype, the US Army must now decide if the company can remain in the competition.
Brigadier General John Rafferty, the service’s head of the Long Range Precision Fires Cross-Functional Team (CFT), told Jane’s on 6 March that Raytheon’s PrSM bid has yet to take flight, an event that was slated to occur by the end of 2019. As a result, the army’s assistant secretary for acquisition, logistics, and technology (ASA(ALT)) Bruce Jette is determining if the company can move on to the next phase of the competition, slated to occur later this month, or if it will be kicked out, he explained.
“Right now, I know that Raytheon and ASA(ALT) are still in discussions about the ways in which they might be able to continue to compete,” Brig Gen Rafferty explained. “From my end, it’s an ASA(ALT) discussion, it’s not a CFT decision. So, we’re supporting Dr Jette [and his team] with whatever they need as they make this decision.”
Raytheon told Jane’s that a “technical issue” is to blame for the delay but declined to detail the nature of the problem.
“Raytheon has resolved the technical issue that delayed our planned DeepStrike flight test last November,” the company wrote in a 6 March email. “The company is working with our US Army customer to plan [the] next steps in the competition for the PrSM programme.”
Raytheon is proposing its DeepStrike for the US Army’s PrSM replacement requirement. However, “technical problems” have prevented the company from conducting a test flight for the service as part of the ongoing competition. (Raytheon)
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