TUCSON, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- Raytheon is celebrating the production and delivery of its 2,000th AGM-176 Griffin missile, a milestone that coincides with 70 months of on-time deliveries.
The Griffin, with variants for forward-firing or aft-launch from fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, is a low-cost modular system and can be guided by either a semi-active laser seeker for guided by GPS. Its payload is 13 pounds, which keeps collateral damage to a minimum, the company said. It has also been adapted for use on U.S. Navy patrol boats.
"The Griffin missile has proven to be an effective way of doing business for Special Operations forces," said U.S. Air Force 1st. Lt. Ben Marshall, Stand-off Precision Guided Munitions program manager at Detachment 1, SOCOM (Special Operations Command). "The capability has steadily improved, where effectiveness and reliability rule the day."
Raytheon developed the Griffin at its own expense.
The 2000th missile delivered is in the Block III configuration. It features a new seeker for improved targeting performance and a multi-effects warhead system that increases the missile's operational effectiveness.
