Lockheed Martin [LMT] is in while potential competitor Raytheon [RTN] remains mum after the Army on Monday released its request for proposals (RFP) for the next phase of the Joint Air-to-Ground Missile (JAGM) program. Deadline for offers is April 2.
The next phase of JAGM is engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) with options for low-rate initial production (LRIP), according to a notice posted on Federal Business Opportunities (FBO). Frank St. John, vice president of tactical missiles/combat maneuver systems at Lockheed Martin, said in a statement the company can provide a vital performance edge at an affordable price with the best value to support warfighters due to Lockheed Martin’s active production line and demonstrated flight successes.
Photo: Lockheed Martin
Raytheon spokesman John Patterson said in a statement the company has not made a final decision to bid on the JAGM EMD portion, but if it bids, it will offer a tri-mode seeker based on the hardware being proven in the Small Diameter Bomb II EMD.
According to the RFP, the fixed-price incentive (firm target) arrangement for the JAGM EDM phase includes a total profit which is separated into three incentive pools: performance, schedule and cost. Thirty-five percent of target profit is for performance, 15 percent for schedule with 50 percent of target profit for total cost.
JAGM consists of a newly developed guidance section mated to the existing Hellfire Romeo backend (motor, warhead and associated electronics). Lockheed Martin in September wrapped up component qualification on the hardware side, which is now considered fully qualified. A company official said in October Lockheed Martin was the only company to go through the continuing technology development with the Army.
The winner of the EMD contract, which a Lockheed Martin official said in October should be awarded in July or August, would work to integrate JAGM with the two threshold platforms: the AH-64 Apache and the AH-1 Cobra. After about 18 months of EMD work, there would be two options for LRIP, totaling 1,000 missiles in 24 months (Defense Daily, Oct. 17).