Aeronutronic Wins $15.7-Million Weapons Pact : Defense: Should the Marine Corps decide to deploy the antitank missile, the deal couldbe worth hundreds of millions to Loral Corp. subsidiary.

NEWPORT BEACH —  Loral Aeronutronic, a manufacturer of missile systems, said Tuesday that it won a $15.7-million contract and was named sole developer for a proposed antitank weapons system for the Marine Corps.

The company, a subsidiary of defense electronics firm Loral Corp. in New York, will build prototypes of a Short Range Antitank Weapon (SRAW) as part of a contract through August, 1992.

If the Marine Corps decides to deploy the weapon, the program could be worth hundreds of millions of dollars to Aeronutronic.

In 1989, Aeronutronic beat out a field of five companies and was named one of two finalists for the development contract. Since then, Loral Corp. became Aeronutronic’s new owner with its purchase of Ford Aerospace Corp. last July.

With the award on Tuesday, Aeronutronic beat out its final competitor, Hughes Aircraft Co.’s Missile Systems Division in Canoga Park.

The contract was awarded by the Naval Surface Warfare Center at Dahlgren, Va.

The antitank weapon would use a so-called top-attack technology, in which missiles fly over enemy tanks and then dive to hit the lightly armored roof of the vehicles. Today’s antitank weapons fly straight at vehicles, which are heavily armored on all sides.

Carried by field troops, the weapon would weigh less than 20 pounds and have a range of about 500 meters.

The technology is similar to that used by Aeronutronic in an unsuccessful bid to build the Army’s next generation antitank weapon, known as AAWS-M for antitank weapons system-medium.

Aeronutronic had been teamed with McDonnell Douglas, but the team suffered a major setback when it lost the contract competition to Martin Marietta Corp. in 1988.

In an era of budget cuts, it is difficult to predict whether the Marine Corps will decide to deploy the weapon.

Antitank weapons, however, are considered relatively safe from budget cuts because such weapons, which would cost about $3,000 each, would enable branches of the Armed Forces to neutralize enemy weapons that are far more expensive.

Aeronutronic’s contract will expire in August of next year. Full-scale development, subject to approvals, is scheduled to begin in 1993.