TEWKSBURY, Mass., 29 May 2009. Raytheon Company's Surface Launched Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (SLAMRAAM) program has gained U.S. Army approval for a long-lead acquisition, not to exceed $30 million, for long-lead purchases leading to low rate initial production, says a company representative.

"SLAMRAAM represents a revolutionary step forward in the defense of our troops on the battlefield as well as our nation and allies," says Pete Franklin, vice president for Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems' National & Theater Security Programs. "SLAMRAAM will field the first command and control air defense system supporting the Army's vision of 'system of systems'."

SLAMRAAM is a tailorable air defense system that can defeat current and emerging cruise missile threats, unmanned aerial systems, and a wide range of air breathing threats. It provides the warfighter with a system of highly mobile battlefield elements networked and geographically distributed to provide integrated fire control capability against airborne threats.

SLAMRAAM, when combined with Raytheon's domain knowledge in integrated air and missile defense, provides the U.S. Army and allies netted, flexible capabilities to defeat current and future threats, says a representative.