Article Posted on : - Sep 15, 2011

LONDON (BNS): Raytheon is seeking to integrate the combat-proven Griffin missile onto the Hawker AT-6 light attack aircraft, according to reports.

The Griffin is a short-range air-to-surface missile developed by Raytheon. It has an air- and ground-launched, precision-guided missile system, the 43 lnch long missile weighs 45 pounds, and designed for rapid integration onto rotary- and fixed-wing aircraft and ground-launch applications.

"Integrating Griffin on the AT-6 aircraft gives the warfighter a cost-effective solution to provide persistent surveillance and low-collateral damage in counterinsurgency and irregular warfare operations," Harry Schulte, vice president of Raytheon Missile Systems' Air Warfare Systems said.

"The integration of precision weapons onto versatile light-attack, reconnaissance platforms enables customers to take off-the-shelf capabilities and rapidly field a solution that meets their needs," he added.

Griffin enables the warfighter to engage targets via a user-friendly graphic interface and guide the weapon to the target using GPS coordinates or laser designation. To maximize lethality, the user can choose to engage the target with height of burst, point detonation or fuze delay.

The Griffin missile is in production and integrated on the C-130 Harvest Hawk.