Raytheon has unveiled a medium-range, air-to-air missile designed to build up the capability of fighter jets to counter hostile drones, cruise missiles, manned aircraft and other airborne threats.
“Peregrine will allow U.S. and allied fighter pilots to carry more missiles into battle to maintain air dominance,” Thomas Bussing, vice president of Raytheon’s advanced missile systems business, said in a statement published Monday.
Peregrine has guidance, propulsion and sensor systems that can detect, track and engage stationary and mobile targets in any weather condition. The weapon’s compact airframe can double the number of missiles fighter aircraft can carry into combat.
The company leveraged additive manufacturing processes and military off-the-shelf materials to develop the air-launched weapon system.