Raytheon, General Dynamics JV Gets U.S. Air Force Launch & Test Range Contract

(RTTNews) - The U.S. Air Force has granted one of its most important space procurements, potentially a multi-billion-dollar contract to operate, maintain, and sustain launch ranges at Florida's Space Coast and Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, to a joint venture of Raytheon (RTN) and General Dynamics (GD).

The joint venture, called Range Generation Next or RGNext is accountable for operations, and organizational and depot-level maintenance and sustainment for safe and effective launch, testing, and tracking of Department of Defense, civil, commercial, and international spacelift vehicles. Also, it would support ballistic missile, guided weapon, and aeronautical tests and evaluations.

The $1.5 billion, single-award contract has a one-year base period with nine one-year options. Raytheon and General Dynamics formed RGNext to pursue the opportunity, known as the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center's Launch and Test Range System or LTRS Integrated Support or LISC contract, supporting the U.S. Air Force Space Command.