Lockheed Martin [LMT] said Monday it selected Honeywell [HON] to supply control actuation system for its Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System – Extended Range program through 2020.
Honeywell received the supplier contract to provide its precise delivery control unit for Lockheed Martin’s GMLRS extended range effort, which would increase the range of its rocket system out to 150 or more kilometers.
“Work performed under the multiyear contract will enable rockets from Lockheed Martin’s advanced missile system to effectively control and steer their way over the battlefield at growing distances, eliminating mission-critical targets with less collateral damage and ensuring soldiers can remain farther from the fight for better safety,” Honeywell officials wrote in a statement.
Honeywell was originally awarded the contract in December 2017, a Lockheed Martin official told Defense Daily.
The Army currently employs the Lockheed GMLRS, and the company expects to schedule demo tests for the extended range version in 2019 and then qualifications in 2020.
Honeywell’s rocket control system is composed of a single main unit and four actuators that independently position fins around the rocket to ensure its direction in each flight.
“Honeywell’s leadership in missile guidance is earned through reliability and performance; however, additive manufacturing and innovative design practices are helping us stay ahead and meet the needs of Lockheed Martin,” said Stevan Slijepcevic, president of mechanical systems and components for Honeywell Aerospace, said in a statement. “We’ve seen excellent promise from additive manufacturing on the aerospace side with faster design and production, and now our defense products are better for it as well. We are able to reduce weight, remove costs and shorten the supply times so that our control actuation system is delivered to Lockheed Martin within affordability targets without compromising on performance or integrity.”