Raytheon ramps up Centurion production



Raytheon ramps up Centurion production

Nathan Hodge JDW Senior Americas Reporter

   Washington, DC

|Key Points |

|Raytheon has increased production of its Centurion Weapon System in expectation of orders from the US Army and US Air Force |

|Centurion is a radar-guided gun used to protect vulnerable forward operating bases from incoming rocket and mortar fire |

Anticipating new orders from the US military, Raytheon has increased production of its Centurion Weapon System: a land-based version of its radar-guided 20 mm Phalanx gun.

Kevin Peppe, Raytheon's director for Phalanx systems, told Jane's the company is expecting orders for at least 16 new systems from the US Army and six from the US Air Force. Funds for the new systems are included in an upcoming emergency war spending bill before the US Congress.

"We're producing in the order of 50 mounts a year right now. We are literally within weeks of ramping up to 60 or 70 mounts a year," he said.

Production includes complete remanufacturing of older gun mounts and conversion of Phalanx systems that were previously installed on ships.

Peppe said the company was planning to reach production levels of "around 80 or so" per year in the near term.

Centurion was developed in response to urgent requests from commanders to field a capability to protect vulnerable forward operating bases from incoming rocket and mortar fire. To date, the navy has provided the army with 22 Phalanx systems and the company is currently on contract for an additional 12 systems. Peppe said the company had also furnished 13 Centurion systems to the UK military.

In addition to producing Centurion, the company is continuing with the scheduled installation of Phalanx systems on navy ships. Peppe said the company had "accelerated the factory enough to give us slack so that we could have these extra mounts".

Several enhancements to the system are already in progress. The company has experimented with augmenting the 20 mm Vulcan cannon with an off-the-shelf solid-state laser, with a telescope to increase the beam's focus.

A static test in June 2006 demonstrated the laser's ability to deflagrate a mortar round. Designers are now mounting the laser in a housing to the right of the gun barrel. A laser is supposed to extend Centurion's engagement range, giving the laser a 'first shot' before the gun engages the target. A demonstration of the enhanced system is planned within the next few months. The test is supposed to demonstrate that the laser beam can track and hold a mortar in flight.

In addition, the company is looking for ways to make the system more mobile. In a company-funded initiative, Raytheon has teamed with Oshkosh Truck Corporation and the army to demonstrate a prototype of Centurion on a Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck. The truck-mounted demonstrator is to be completed by mid-summer (the third quarter of Fiscal Year 2008).

US counter-rocket and mortar (C-RAM) systems in the field today involve an array of sensors and equipment, including both field artillery and air defence artillery assets. In addition, the navy has provided the personnel to man and operate the Phalanx gun. Peppe said land-based Phalanx systems had successfully intercepted around 90 rockets and mortars in theatre.

The Centurion C-RAM system. Land-based Phalanx systems have been credited with intercepting around 90 rockets and mortars in theatre (Raytheon) 1169522

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Date Posted: 20-Mar-2008

Jane's Defence Weekly

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