Raytheon has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Air Force for Small Diameter Bomb II munitions, parts, support and related data.

The deal, announced Tuesday by the Department of Defense, is valued at more than $77.3 million under the terms of a firm-fixed-price contract designed to exercise an option to a previous contract award.

The contract will provide the Air Force with 570 SDB II munitions, along with 398 SDB II single weapon containers and 126 SDB II dual weapon containers.

The contract also provides 20 "Production Reliability Incentive Demonstration Effort captive vehicles," with 24 SDB II weapon load crew trainers and conventional munitions maintenance trainers, according to the Defense Department.

The small diameter bomb is preferred by the U.S. Air Force and other military services in place of the bulky 2,000-pound Mark-84 general purpose bomb because aircraft can carry up to four SDB-IIs, versus one Mark-84.

The SDB-II is equipped with three modes -- a millimeter wave radar that detects and tracks targets through all weather, imaging infrared for improved target discrimination and a semi-active laser allowing it to track lasers in the air or on the ground.

The bomb can strike targets more than 45 miles away, and has been integrated for use on F-35 Lightning II aircraft and F/A-18E/F by the U.S. Air Force and Navy.

Work on the contract will occur in Tucson, Ariz., and is expected to be complete by July 2020.

More than $59 million will be obligated to Raytheon at time of award from fiscal 2017 missile procurement funds and fiscal 2018 missile procurement funds, the Pentagon said in a press release.

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