Defense Department to give $250 million to Tucson?s Raytheon for new missiles

Tucson-based defense contractor Raytheon Missile Systems was awarded more than $250 million in two Defense Department contracts Friday, which fulfill commitments from the Army and the US Missile Defense Agency.

The first contract is for nearly $50 million to help Raytheon finish development of the newest line of missiles designed to shoot down long-range Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) in mid-air. They will be used for a planned missile defense shield in Europe and are nearly ready for production.

An earlier generation of the missiles are already deployed on U.S. and Japanese navy Destroyers.

The other $200 million will buy long-range tube-launched, optically-tracked, wireless-guided TOW missiles that Raytheon manufactures in Tucson and Farmington , N .M. They were ordered by the Army’s Redstone Arsenal in Alabama . 

Raytheon said no new jobs will come from the contracts because they are for on-going manufacturing and development projects.