In the trenchesRaytheon demonstrates missiles to engage swarms of small boats
In the event of a military a U.S.-Iran military clash, the Iranian Navy plans to use hundreds of small boats, equipped with anti-ship missiles, to attack larger U.S. ships in the waters of the Persian Gulf; the Griffin B missile from Raytheon aims to offer an answer to the small-boat problem, and the company says that in a recent live-fire demonstration, the U.S. Navy proved the ability of the Griffin B missile to engage rapidly moving small boats
In the event of a military a U.S.-Iran military clash, the Iranian Navy plans to use hundreds of small boats, equipped with anti-ship missiles, to attack larger U.S. ships in the waters of the Persian Gulf. Defending against swarms of small boats is not easy, and until recently the U.S. Navy had no effective weapon systems to deal with the problem.
The Griffin B missile from Raytheon aims to offer an answer to the small-boat problem, and the company says that in a recent live-fire demonstration, the U.S. Navy proved the ability of the Griffin B missile to engage rapidly moving small boats.
“This demonstration shows the Griffin missile’s effectiveness in engaging the type of small, fast-moving boats used by swarming threats and pirates,” said Harry Schulte, vice president of Raytheon Missile Systems’ Air Warfare Systems product line. “Griffin is fully developed, in production, lightweight, precise, and can be easily integrated on a wide variety of vessels, making it an excellent weapon for near-term threats.”
During the demonstration, which took place late in the first quarter of 2012, three Griffins were fired from a sea-based launcher at three separate speeding-boat targets more than two kilometers (1.2 miles) away. The weapons were guided by laser and scored direct hits on the target, achieving all demonstration objectives.
The Griffin missile is in production and integrated on the C-130 Harvest Hawk. The combat-proven Griffin A is an aft-eject missile designed for employment from non-conventional platforms such as the C-130 aircraft. Griffin B is a forward-firing missile that launches from rotary- and fixed-wing aircraft and ground-launch applications.
The Griffin enables soldiers to engage targets via a user interface and guide the weapon to the target using GPS coordinates or laser designation. To maximize lethality, the user can choose to engage the target with height of burst, point detonation, or fuse delay. The Griffin:
- Is 43 inches long, weighs 33 pounds, and has a 13-pound warhead.
- Has been fired from C-130 platforms and, most recently, from a modified RAM launcher.
- Has a proven track record of successful rapid integration.
