The Navy last month awarded Alliant Techsystems [ATK] a $55 million Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) contract for the advanced anti-radiation guided missile (AARGM), the company reported yesterday.
The contract is for missiles, containers, spares, support/special test equipment, and required production transition activities.
The contract provides for AARGM deliveries of sufficient quantity to meet the Navy’s Initial Operational Capability (IOC) in 2010. Under terms of the contract, ATK will provide the weapon systems for use on U.S. Navy and Marine Corps F/A-18C/D aircraft, the company said.
ATK collaboratively developed AARGM with the Navy and Italian Air Force AARGM Integrated Product Team, led by the Direct and Time Sensitive Strike Program Office (PMA-242) at Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR).
The AARGM team also includes members from the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division–China Lake, Calif., NAVAIR, and multiple industry partners.
AARGM is a supersonic, air-launched tactical missile that will be integrated on the FA-18C/D, FA-18E/F, EA-18G and Tornado ECR aircraft. The missile is also designed for compatibility with the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, EA-6B Prowler and U.S. F-16 aircraft.
AARGM’s advanced multi-sensor system, including a Millimeter Wave (MMW) terminal seeker, advanced digital ARH receiver and a Global Positioning System/Inertial Navigation System, is capable of rapidly engaging traditional and advanced enemy air defense targets as well as non-radar time-sensitive strike targets, according to ATK.
The AARGM MMW seeker can operate in concert with the ARH to counter RF shutdown tactics, or in a stand-alone mode to guide to non-emitting targets.
AARGM is a network-enabled weapon that will directly receive tactical intelligence information via an embedded receiver and transmit near real-time Weapon Impact Assessment (WIA) reports prior to weapon detonation.
AARGM, an upgrade to the Navy’s AGM-88 HARM system, is a U.S. and Italian international cooperative major acquisition program with the Navy as the executive agent, according to ATK.
The capability and success achieved by the AARGM program can be traced to the Navy Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Department of Defense (DoD) Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration (ACTD) programs. The AARGM guidance section technology was developed under a series of Phase-I, II, and III SBIR contract awards in the 1990s (Defense Daily, Oct. 24).
In 2008, AARGM completed two successful operational assessment firings at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, Calif. The missile firing demonstrated AARGM’s lethality against the modern and advanced air defense systems employing shutdown tactics (Defense Daily, Aug. 19).