The Air Force awarded Raytheon a $32.5 million contract for Griffin A and B air-to-surface missiles with $85.5 million in potential options under an indefinite quantity/delivery arrangement, the company announced Nov. 7. The 33-pound aft-firing AGM-176A Griffin missile is employed by AC-130W Dragon Spear gunships and is also a feature of the precision strike package, which is planned for integration on Air Force Special Operations Command’s next generation AC-130J Ghostrider gunship. The Griffin B is a forward-firing variant capable of launch from light fixed-wing aircraft, such as remotely piloted aircraft. Raytheon marked the 2,000th Griffin delivered to the Air Force and Marine Corps early this year.
China is expanding the arsenal of counter-space weapons it could use in a potential conflict with the U.S., to include on-orbit systems, according to a new report from the Defense Intelligence Agency.