Harris and Viasat win contract to work on weapon

The

has awarded a partnership consisting of

and

a contract to supply the data link system for a Boeing aircraft weapon.

The system will be designed for the Small Diameter Bomb Increment II (SDB II) precision-guided weapon. Harris and Viasat earned the contract after participating in an industry-wide competition.

Boeing and Lockheed Martin won one of two Air Force contracts for the risk-reduction phase of the SDB II programme last April.

The two-way data exchange network is said to enable the US troops to attack moving targets in all weather conditions, using a multi-mode seeker designed by Lockheed Martin.

The Boeing SDB II is the planned follow-up to the SDB I GBU-39 weapon, which has been in operation in south-east Asia since October 2006.

The US Air Force is expected to award a contract for the design and development phase of the SDB II system by late 2009.