WASHINGTON (AP) – The Navy is cutting funding for a long-range weapon designed by Waltham-based Raytheon that has repeatedly failed to perform in field tests despite $600 million worth of research over the past decade.

The Extended Range Guided Munition was designed to be fired from Navy vessels up to 50 miles offshore in support of ground troops most recently failed tests in February.

Navy Lt. John Schofield tells The Boston Globe that the expected costs to save the effort are too high to justify going forward.

Raytheon’s Missile Systems Division, based in Tucson, Arizona, says in a statement that it is suspending work on the program and is awaiting official notification from the Navy about the future of the program.

—

Information from: The Boston Globe, http://www.boston.com/globe

AP-ES-03-22-08 1755EDT