NEW YORK, 3 Dec. 2007.EDO Corp. won a $54.4 million contract from Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company for continued production of its LAU-142/A AMRAAM Vertical Ejection Launcher, or AVEL, for the F-22 Raptor.
This latest order covers production lots 7, 8, and 9, plus spares and associated engineering. These production lots will bring the total number of F-22 aircraft to 191, all of which are equipped with the AVEL.
"EDO's LAU-142A launcher is a mission-critical system that is essential to this fifth generation fighter's superior air-to-air engagement capability," says James M. Smith, EDO's chief executive officer. "We have partnered with Lockheed Martin to negotiate this long-term contract that will allow for the most efficient engineering and production, therefore minimizing costs to the government."
EDO's design addresses the need to carry and eject missiles from within concealed weapon bays. The AVEL's rapid ejection rate minimizes the time the weapon-bay doors are open, therefore maintaining the fighter's stealth characteristics. It also ejects at the precise angle and velocity needed to optimize missile guidance and avoid interfering with the aircraft's maneuvers at supersonic speeds. The AVEL employs a highly reliable pneumatic-ejection system controlled by the aircraft's stores-management system.
