Raytheon announced Monday that it has received a $34.4 million contract to continue design work on the updated version of the laser-guided Maverick missile that it is building for the Air Force. The company says this newest version of Laser Maverick is now designated the AGM-65E2/L. The contract requires Raytheon to develop, integrate, and test the missile’s guidance and control section. This upgraded Maverick model will feature an enhanced laser seeker and new software and enable pilots to use onboard targeting lasers to designate their targets. The Air Force is acquiring it in order to have a kinetic option for attacking ground targets in urban areas with reduced risk of collateral damage. In the past, Raytheon has said it would supply kits to upgrade a total of up to 450 Laser Maverick missiles for the Air Force and Navy, with first deliveries in early to mid 2011.
The Pentagon agency charged with building and operating U.S. spy satellites recently declassified some details about a Cold War-era surveillance program called Jumpseat—a revelation it says sheds light on the importance of satellite imaging technology and how it has advanced in the decades since.
