Raytheon Delivers HARM Upgrade

Raytheon Co. Missile Systems, Tucson, Ariz., delivered the first order of High-Speed Anti-Radiation Missile (HARM) Control Section Modification (HCSM) upgrade units to the U.S. Air Force earlier this month.

 

"HCSM improves mission effectiveness and significantly reduces the risk of collateral damage," says Jack Roosa, HARM program director for Raytheon Missile Systems. "The HCSM upgrade to the previously fielded HARM inventory adds GPS and improves inertial navigation system capability at a substantial savings compared to other weapons with similar capability."

 

HCSM features a digital flight computer that merges targeting solutions from navigation and seeker systems. These enhancements improve the probability of hit, while controlling where the missile can and cannot fly.

 

Raytheon has teamed with Honeywell, Rockwell Collins, and others for the HCSM program.

 

The AGM-88 HARM is a key battlefield element to suppress or destroy surface-to-air missile radars, early warning radars, and radar-directed air defense artillery systems. HARMs have made hostile airspaces worldwide safer for U.S. and allied warfighters. The missile resides in the inventories of eight countries. More than 4,000 HARMs have been employed in combat. HCSM adds features that engage time-critical targets, resist countermeasure tactics, and reduce the risk of fratricide or collateral damage, according to the manufacturer.