Joint Air-to-Ground Missile

The Joint Air-to-Ground Missile (JAGM) is a U.S. military program to develop an air-to-surface missile to replace the current air-launched BGM-71 TOW, AGM-114 Hellfire and AGM-65 Maverick missiles.^[3] The US Army, Navy and Marine Corps plan to buy thousands of JAGMs.^[4]

Description

The Joint Air-to-Ground Missile (JAGM) program is a follow-on from the unsuccessful AGM-169 Joint Common Missile program that was cancelled due to budget cuts. JAGM will share basically the same objectives and technologies as JCM but will be developed over a longer time scale.^[5]

Launch platforms

• AH-64 Apache
• MQ-1C Gray Eagle^[3]
• MH-60R/S Seahawk
• AH-1Z Viper^[6]
• OH-58F Kiowa

Operators

 United States: The JAGM was intended for joint service with the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, and the U.S. Marine Corps by providing a single missile configuration for many platforms. JAGM offered the services increased operational flexibility and reduced logistics support costs.^[3]

In February 2012, the Navy and Marine Corps terminated their investment in the program, saying it was a "manageable risk" to do so and that they would instead focus on the GBU-53/B SDB II and continued Hellfire procurement, making the JAGM an Army-only program - but in March 2014 re-entered the program, with documents showing integration of the missile onto Marine AH-1Z helicopters.^[7]

Timeline

• June 2007: US Defense Department releases a draft request for proposals (RFP) launching a competition for the Joint Air to Ground Missile (JAGM) program, schedules industry day.^[5]
• April 2008: Raytheon and Boeing announce teaming for the Joint Air to Ground Missile (JAGM) program.^[8]
• September 2008: Lockheed Martin announced that they were awarded a $122 million technology development contract for the Joint Air-to-Ground Missile (JAGM) system. The 27-month contract, awarded by the U.S. Army’s Aviation and Missile Command, with participation by the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, is for a competitive risk-reduction phase.^[9]
• September 2008: U.S. Army Awards Raytheon-Boeing Team $125 million contract for JAGM.^[10]
• January 2010: Raytheon-Boeing team completes first JAGM captive flight test.^[11]
• March 2010: U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command (AMCOM) updates the draft request for proposal (RFP) and releases it.^[12]
• March 2010: Lockheed Martin Successfully Tests JAGM Tri-Mode Seeker.^[13]
• April 2010: Raytheon-Boeing team validates JAGM seeker during captive flight tests.^[14]
• April 2010: Lockheed Martin, Aerojet achieve JAGM rocket motor breakthrough.^[15]
• April 2010: Lockheed Martin's JAGM successfully completes Limited Dirty Battlefield/Countermeasures testing.^[16]
• April 2010: Raytheon-Boeing team fires first JAGM.^[17]
• May 2010: Lockheed Martin's JAGM successfully completes F/A-18 E/F wind tunnel tests.^[18]
• July 2010: Raytheon-Boeing Team on Target During First Government-Funded Test of JAGM^[19]
• Aug 2010: Raytheon-Boeing Team on Target During Second Government-Funded Test
• Sep 2010: Raytheon-Boeing Team on Target During Third Government-Funded Test
• Nov 2010: Lockheed Martin JAGM Hits Target in Multi-Mission Test^[20]
• Jan 2011: Lockheed Martin JAGM Completes Flying Qualities Test on US Navy Super Hornet^[21]

Each team submitted its proposal in the spring of 2011, with contract award expected in the first quarter of 2012. However, in September the Army and Navy requested the JAGM program be terminated.^[22]

• Jan 2012: JAGM survives budget reduction plan with reduced funding.^[23]
• Aug 17, 2012: Lockheed Martin receives a $64 million contract from the U.S. Army to extend the JAGM technology development program. The 27-month extended technology development program will include design, test, and demonstration phases for the JAGM guidance section.^[24]
• Aug 2012: The Army drops its requirement for a tri-mode seeker due to budget cutbacks. The current plan is to separate JAGM into increments, with the first adding a low-frequency millimeter wave radar to Hellfire-R model missiles to augment its laser seeker, making it dual-mode. A more expensive tri-mode seeker adding an imaging infrared sensor is delayed. Lockheed claimed the IR seeker disproportionately drove up costs, while Raytheon claimed it could leverage technology it used for the GBU-53/B SDB II to inexpensively keep the tri-mode seeker.^[25]
• Oct 22, 2012: Raytheon submits its contract proposal to continue the development of its version of the JAGM. The imaging infrared seeker requirement was previously dropped due to cost, but the Raytheon seeker is the same one used on the SDB II, so they continued to develop their system with all three modes.^[26]
• Oct 23, 2012: Lockheed Martin successfully tested millimeter wave and semi-active laser seeker for missile at maximum range.^[27]
• Dec 6, 2012: Raytheon receives a $65 million 28-month contract to continue development of their JAGM missile and uncooled tri-mode seeker.^[28]
• April 2013: JAGM in danger of cancellation as part of budget cuts in FY 2014 budget.^[29]
• July 17, 2013: Army announces they will not award Raytheon a contract for the remainder of the Technology Development (TD) phase and will continue with Lockheed's contract.^[30]
• February 2014: Lockheed demonstrates JAGM dual-mode guidance section by engaging a laser-designated moving target. The seeker features Hellfire semi-active laser and Longbow millimeter wave radar. The rail-mounted guidance section flew 6 km (3.7 mi), engaged its precision-strike, semi-active laser, and hit the target.^[31]
• July 2014: Lockheed performs a second flight test of their JAGM dual-mode guidance section. The target was initially acquired with its semi-active laser, then engaged its millimeter wave radar, hitting a moving target at 6.2 km (3.9 mi).^[32]
• February 2015: Army issues RFP for JAGM guidance section upgrade. Lockheed will offer its dual-mode laser and millimeter wave radar seeker, and Raytheon may submit its tri-mode seeker which adds imaging infrared if it chooses to compete.^[33]
• July 2015: Lockheed awarded a $66 million engineering and manufacturing contract to combine its laser and millimeter wave seekers into the Hellfire Romeo missile body, while Raytheon chose not to compete but retains its tri-mode seeker should the Army request it.^[1]
• 25 May 2016: JAGM fired from a UAV, the MQ-1C Gray Eagle, for the first time, hitting a truck target traveling 20 mph (32 km/h). It was the seventh flight test and successful hit.^[34][35]

See also

• Naval Air Systems Command
• List of missiles by country
• Brimstone missile
• Spike (missile)
• Precision Attack Air-to-Surface Missile

References

External links

• Army RDT&E 2009 Budget Item Justification (PDF)
• Army RDT&E 2010 Budget Item Justification (PDF)
• U.S. Navy NAVAIR JAGM page
• Lockheed Martin JAGM page
• Raytheon JAGM page
• 2012 Army Weapon Systems Handbook - JAGM
• Raytheon JAGM datasheet
• HELLFIRE II Missile