The selection was based on an extensive competition among numerous composite material design and manufacturing companies challenged to meet the launch and storage performance parameters for the PAM missile. As part of the competition, each bidder was required to participate in numerous reviews to demonstrate its design's ability to meet the combined U.S. Army and Navy requirements.

The estimated contract value is expected to be in excess of $8 million during the system design and demonstration (SDD) phase of the program.

The PAM missile, developed under a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) NetFires program, successfully conducted numerous end to end flight tests during the DARPA program. That program focused on innovative design and performance of a compact, networked, precision attack missile vertically launched from a self contained, platform independent launcher called the Container Launch Unit (CLU).

One significant design element of the CLU is a light-weight concentric canister that not only serves as the launch container for the missile but also the shipping and storage container. NLOS-LS is currently in the SDD phase of the program for the Army. Work under this contract began in 2004. The SPARTA/SDC missile launch/shipping container will be built, assembled and tested at the SPARTA facility in San Diego, Calif.

"The selection of the SPARTA/SDC team for the development of the missile launch/shipping container represents a significant milestone for the NLOS-LS program. The team's ability to meet the diverse storage, operating and launch environments for the PAM missile required by both the Army and Navy programs provided each competitor with very unique challenges," said Scott Speet, executive vice president of the NetFires and Raytheon's NLOS-LS program director.

"The selection of the SPARTA/SDC is a critical step on our path for successfully meeting our cost, performance, and schedule requirements leading to preliminary design review of the PAM missile."

The NLOS-LS system consists of Raytheon's Precision Attack Missile (PAM), Lockheed Martin's Loitering Attack Missile (LAM) and a joint Container Launch Unit (CLU). In 2004, the Army accelerated fielding of the Raytheon PAM and CLU to the Army's Evaluation Brigade combat Team into Spin Out 1 in fiscal year 2008.

NLOS-LS provides a commander with immediate, precise and responsive fires on high payoff targets with real time target acquisition and battle effects. PAM is a direct attack missile that is effective against moving and stationary targets at ranges from zero to 40 km and effective against hard and soft targets.

The missile includes a networked datalink that provides in-flight updates to each missile with ground and airborne sensor nodes and has a multi- mode warhead effective against both hard and soft targets.

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