The Navy on Nov. 4 said it intends to award Northrop Grumman [NOC] a sole source contract for the Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) Lots I and II of AGM-88G Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile-Extended Range (AARGM-ER).
According to a public government notice published on Wednesday, Naval Air Systems Command intends to award the sole source firm-fixed-price contract to Northrop Grumman “for the procurement of all tasks required to manufacture, fabricate, assemble, inspect, test, integrate and deliver the AGM-88G Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile Extended Range (AARGM-ER) All-Up Rounds (AUR).”
The contract will also cover AGM-88G Captive Air Training Missiles (CATM), spares, support equipment, and Special Test Equipment (STE) as well as provide program management, systems engineering, system safety, configuration management, quality assurance, and integrated logistics support.
In June, Northrop Grumman said it recently completed the Critical Design Review for the AARGM-ER as completing successful design verification tests of the missile rocket motor and warhead (Defense Daily, June 26).
The missile is being integrated on the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growlers aircraft and will also be compatible with the F-35A/B/C Joint Strike Fighter.
That same month, the Navy said it completed the first captive carry flight test of the AARGM—ER on a Super Hornet. This type of testing is set to carry on for several more years until it reaches an expected initial operational capability in fiscal year 2023 (Defense Daily, June 5).