Raytheon Company,
TUCSON: The Spanish military and Raytheon Company completed a joint venture that integrated the combat-proven Enhanced Paveway II 1,000 pound GBU-48 on Spain's F/A-18 Hornet strike aircraft.
“Spain's contributions to NATO operations and other contingencies will improve with the addition of EP2,” said Maj. Rafael Gomez-Blanco, the Spanish Air Force's EP2 integration lead. “Enhanced Paveway II combines unmatched precision, accuracy and standoff range with affordability and ease of integration.”
The integration effort, which culminated in the EP2 achieving six out of six successful drops during flight testing, was the result of close collaboration between the Spanish Air Force and Raytheon.
“Raytheon has extensive experience partnering with international customers, and we've worked hard to build a close relationship with the Spanish military,” said Harry Schulte, vice president of Raytheon Missile System's Air Warfare Systems. “We learned a lot about integrating EP2 on the F/A-18 from the professionals in the Spanish Air Force, and we plan to use that expertise going forward.”
Raytheon Company, with 2007 sales of $21.3 billion, is a technology leader specializing in defense, homeland security and other government markets throughout the world. With headquarters in Waltham, Mass., Raytheon employs 72,000 people worldwide.
Background Information
Enhanced Paveway weapon systems are currently providing operational flexibility and precision against a broad range of requirements and target sets in the ongoing global war on terror.
Enhanced Paveway II is an affordable all-weather dual mode GPS/laser- guided precision munition that has successfully been used in combat by the U.K.'s Royal Air Force during Operation Southern Watch and Operation Enduring Freedom.
