Raytheon touts success of its enhanced Griffin C missile

Raytheon's Griffin C missile has completed its development phase with flight tests to demonstrate its readiness for deployment on Littoral Combat Ships.

The Griffin C features increased range -- three times the 12.5 miles of the Griffin B Block II deployed on Coast Guard patrol boats -- mid-flight retargeting capability, and a dual-mode seeker.

In three flight tests at the Yuma Proving Grounds in Arizona, Griffin C's in-flight target update system was on the mark.

The capability, the company said, makes the missile vital for naval forces facing swarming boat threats that may be intermingled with non-hostile vessels, such as cargo ships.

"With its extended range motor, Griffin C's increased capability addresses the need for a longer range missile with in-flight retargeting," said Dr. Thomas R. Bussing, vice president of Advanced Missile Systems at Raytheon Missile Systems.

"Because they often operate in a high-traffic, littoral waters, naval warfighters must make split-second decisions to engage or disengage targets. By enhancing an already tested and fielded system, we can deliver a missile with significantly improved capabilities at lower costs and risk."

In addition to its naval uses, Raytheon's Griffin missile system has demonstrated rapid integration onto land and air platforms.

Raytheon announced the test results from the Euronaval International Naval Defense and Maritime Exhibition in France.