The US Navy has awarded a contract to Raytheon to provide engineering and technical services in support of the Standard missile (SM) programme.

Under the $47.8m contract, the company will provide engineering and technical services for the design integrity, and total systems integration of the missile round and its components.

The scope of work includes predicting and monitoring missile performance and reliability, internal and external interfaces with ship combat systems, test and packaging, improving missile design and maintaining the technical data package.

The Standard missile was developed as a replacement for the Terrier, Talos and Tartar surface-to-air missiles for air defence and theatre ballistic missile defence.

Work will be carried out in Arizona and is expected to be complete by October 2010. The contract has been awarded by the Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington.