(RTTNews) - Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. (HII), an all-domain defense provider and military shipbuilder, announced Monday that its Mission Technologies division was selected to develop an open architecture High-Energy Laser or HEL weapon system for the U.S. Army's Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office or RCCTO.
Under the deal, HII will develop and test a HEL prototype to acquire, track and destroy Groups 1-3 Unmanned Aircraft Systems or UAS used in multi-domain operations. The system will be capable of fixed-site defense and/or integration onto Army vehicles.
In addition to a HEL prototype system, HII will provide the data needed to compete subsystems and key components. According to the firm, the data, which is aligned to the system's Modular Open Systems Approach architecture, directly supports Army's objectives for interoperability, affordability, scalability, supply chain resilience and rapid innovation.
The weapon system will allow the Army to interchange subsystems and software as the weapon evolves to meet national security demands.
HII noted that its prototype HEL will undergo field testing to evaluate its safety and operational suitability. Upon successful demonstration, the system is expected to transition into low-rate initial production.
Grant Hagen, president of Mission Technologies Warfare Systems group, said, "We are proud to provide a critical enabler for the Army, delivering an effective, interoperable, sustainable and scalable system that will meet force protection requirements and support U.S. strategic objectives."
In pre-market activity on the NYSE, HII shares were gaining around 1.4 percent to trade at $204.26.
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