RAMSYS GmbH awarded RAM missile contract

June 26 (UPI) -- RAMSYS GmbH is being awarded a $92.3 million contract for design and development work on the Rolling Airframe Missile Block 2B as part of a joint effort between Germany and the U.S.

The contract, announced by the Department of Defense on Friday, will be completely funded by the Federal Republic of Germany. Work will be conducted mainly at Ueberlingen, Germany, and several other sites across the country. The project is expected to be completed by June 2021.

German funding in the amount of $92.3 million will be obligated upon award. The contract was non-competitive under the terms of an international agreement.

The RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile is designed for point-defense against incoming anti-ship missiles and close-in air and surface threats. It uses the the Mk-31 guided weapons system which can mount 21 missiles and use the ships other sensor systems for guidance data alongside 'radio-frequency and infrared seeker heads.

The fire-and-forget nature of the missile means the MK 31 can engage multiple targets simultaneously Variants include the SeaRAM, which mounts on the Phalanx Close-In Weapons System in replacement of the 20mm Gatling gun -- making the missile system autonomous for quick reaction and engagement time.

The RAM is mounted on a variety of U.S. and foreign-allied ship classes, including aircraft carriers, amphibious assault ships and littoral combat ships. The Block 2A is an upgrade currently in development of the deployed Block 2

The missile system is a joint program between the United States and German navies and deployed on allied ships across the world. South Korea, Japan, Egypt, Greece and other countries deploy the system as well. More than 4,500 of the missiles have been produced.