U.S. defense contractor Raytheon is awarded the contract to procure LAU-115 and LAU-116 guided missile launchers.

The contract, announced Tuesday by the Department of Defense, is worth more than $47,3 million and covers procure of 99 LAU-115 and 100 LAU-116 guided missile launchers for the Navy as well as 62 LAU-115 and 68 LAU-116 guided missile launchers for the government of Kuwait to enable F/A-18 aircraft to carry and launch AIM-120 and AIM-9X missiles.

Also noted that work will be performed in Indianapolis, Indiana, and is expected to be completed in July 2022.

Fiscal 2017 and 2018 aircraft procurement (Navy); and foreign military sales funds in the amount of $47,378,485 will be obligated at time of award, $17,285,182 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year.

The LAU-115 is rail launchers designed for carriage and launch of AIM-7 missiles from F/A-18 aircraft. The launcher is suspended from the BRU-32 bomb rack on wing stations. The LAU-7 launchers or LAU-127 launchers may be attached to the sides of the LAU-115 for carriage of AIM-9 or AIM-120 missiles.

The LAU-116 provides for the carriage and launch of the AIM-7 series SPARROW missile from the F/A-18A aircraft. The LAU-116A/A is also capable of launching the AIM-120 AMRAAMmissile. Two launchers, one left hand and one right hand, are installed in the underside of the aircraft fuselage at stations 4 and 6. The launchers are recessed in cavities within the aircraft fuselage, allowing the missiles to be semi recessed for aerodynamic purposes. Both versions of the LAU-116 are ejection launchers.