Matthew Nelson
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has reached a new milestone for the BQM-177A subsonic aerial target with the delivery of its 100th production unit to Naval Air Systems Command.
The delivery moved the company closer to completing its third and final Low Rate Initial Production contract with the Navy for the anti-ship missile threat emulation system, Kratos said Thursday.
Capt. Molly Boron, Navy's program manager for the Aerial Targets initiative, said the service awarded a $29.2M contract for the Lot 1 full rate production of 35 more BQM-177A SSATs on Sept. 29.
"We are completing LRIP III deliveries … and are currently activating the operational site at Pacific Missile Range Facility in Kauai, [Hawaii]," added Boron.
The team is also moving aerial targets and associated equipment to the Navy's Atlantic Target and Marine Operations Division in Virginia as the BQM-177A is expected to reach full operational capability status in the next few months.
"We will complete the transition of this capability when the PMRF Detachment Far East site in Okinawa, Japan, is activated with a ship-launch capability," said Boron.
BQM-177A is designed to fly at speeds up to 0.5 Mach and reach a sea-skimming altitude of 6.6 feet.
