Raytheon [RTN] and Boeing [BA] completed a second series of captive flight tests for the Joint Air-to-Ground Missile (JAGM) competition, the companies said yesterday.
“This test proved that all modes of the Raytheon-designed seeker work properly, and that the JAGM seeker can transfer back and forth between the two hardest modes–imaging infrared and millimeter wave,” said Bob Francois, vice president of Raytheon Missile Systems’ Advanced Missiles and Unmanned Systems product line. “With the latest tests under our belt, we are well on the way to conducting seeker tests in a countermeasure-intensive environment.”
Lockheed Martin is also competing for the JAGM contract. The missile is expected to replace three legacy systems in the Army, Navy and Marine Corps inventories.
The Raytheon-Boeing team’s JAGM features a Boeing body, a Boeing warhead and a Raytheon tri-mode seeker. The tri-mode seeker leverages technology used on Raytheon’s GBU-53/B Small Diameter Bomb II. The tri-mode seeker enables JAGM to attack a variety of fixed and moving targets in all weather conditions.
“By leveraging proven components from both companies, the Raytheon-Boeing team will be able to provide the warfighter a reliable, best-value solution,” said Carl Avila, Boeing’s director of Advanced Weapons and Missile Systems.