Mary-Louise Hoffman
The U.S. Army has performed multiple test flights to demonstrate the maturity of a joint air-to-ground missile technology that Lockheed Martin designed for the Army, U.S. Navy and Marine Corps.
“Throughout all five tests, we have demonstrated that both sensors — onboard radar and semi-active laser — effectively operate together to provide an enhanced capability against stationary and moving targets for precision point or fire-and-forget targeting,” said Col. James Romero, an Army project manager, said Friday.
Lockheed was awarded a $66.3 million engineering and manufacturing development contract in August to help build the JAGM system.
The company will produce, conduct qualification test and integrate the platform on AH-64 and AH-17 attack helicopters throughout the EMD phase, which could last up to 24 months.
Frank St. John, vice president of tactical missiles and combat maneuver systems at Lockheed’s missiles and fire control business, said the company aims to help the U.S. military meet the 2018 target for JAGM initial operational capability.
The system performed well during flight testing under the program’s continued technology development phase, the company noted.
