Raytheon has delivered its first R7 high-speed anti-radiation missile (HARM) pod to the Air Force, designed to find and identify ground-based emitters. The R7 HARM targeting system is the first upgraded pod to be equipped with new hardware and software, including a GPS receiver. The HARM system allows the pilot to find emitters that can then be destroyed by precision guided munitions. All the current Air Force HTS pods will be upgraded to R7 in the next two years, according to a Raytheon statement.
U.S. munitions have been expended at a high rate during Operation Epic Fury against Iran, prompting concerns that the Pentagon is eating into weapons stockpiles it needs to deter threats around the world. Yet the newly released $1.5 trillion defense budget request was developed before the war against Iran and…