TUCSON, April 22 (UPI) -- Raytheon said Tuesday it has won a Dutch contract for its Paveway precision-guided munitions.
The company said in a statement that on April 8 it received a competitively bid contract for its Enhanced Paveway II precision-guided munition. The value of the deal was not disclosed, but it involved manufacturing 200 kits to be sent to The Netherlands armed forces to upgrade 500-pound "dumb" bombs into the GBU-49, a precision weapon that the U.S. armed forces have often used in operations in Iraq.
"We wanted to provide our military a proven dual-mode PGM with unparalleled capability and precision, which is why we chose Raytheon's Paveway," said Maj. Bob H.M.J. Fleuren, project leader of The Netherlands' Defense Materiel Organization. "We look forward to working with Raytheon as we continue to upgrade and modernize our military's capability."
Raytheon officials said the Paveway system would give the Dutch armed forces some capabilities they had not enjoyed before.
"The Netherlands' selection of Enhanced Paveway II provides its Air Force the world's only combat-proven, dual-mode, laser-guided weapon in production today," said Harry Schulte, vice president of Raytheon Missile Systems' Air Warfare Systems product line. "EP2 provides more standoff range and more precision than any similar dual-mode PGM in the world."
Raytheon described the Enhanced Paveway II as an "affordable, all-weather, dual-mode GPS/ laser-guided precision munition." The Paveway II has also been deployed and fired in action by the British Royal Air Force during Operation Southern Watch, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, the company said.
