By Geoff Fein
Raytheon [RTN] and Boeing [BA] have wrapped up the first of three planned government-sponsored Joint Air-to-Ground Missile (JAGM) firings at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., according to the companies.
The first firing required lock-on-after-launch of the missile using the semi-active laser, one-third of the missiles tri-mode seeker, which is built by Raytheon.
Although the focus of the first firing was the semi-active laser, the government required that all three modes of the seeker operate during the firing, Michael Riley, Raytheon’s senior manager business development advanced missiles and unmanned systems, told Defense Daily recently.
The next test for JAGM is scheduled for Aug. 13 at White Sands. That will be a lock-on-before-launch firing using the seeker’s uncooled imaging infrared sensor, Riley said.
The final test is scheduled for Sept. 8 and will be a lock-on-after-launch firing at a moving target relying on millimeter wave guidance, he added.
The Sept. 8 firing completes the requirement for the 27-month test development phase, Riley noted.
“We are preparing for the EMD (Engineering and Manufacturing Development) bid, which is the next phase,” he said.
The EMD phase is a four-year effort, Riley added, and includes a Low-Rate Initial Production buy.
Riley said JAGM is really more of an integration than a weapons program.
JAGM will be carried on rotary-wing, fixed-wing and unmanned aerial system (UAS) platforms, with an expected initial operational capability in 2016. The missile is expected to replace Hellfire II, Longbow Hellfire and Maverick missiles.
The Army and Navy are seeking a combined total of 33,000 JAGM, according to Riley.
For Raytheon’s partner Boeing, much of its focus has been on developing a motor than can carry JAGM 16 kilometers as well as survive the high-altitude, low-temperature fixed- wing aircraft environment, Stephen Sherrick, manager Boeing business development integrated defense systems, told Defense Daily in the same interview.
The Boeing-Raytheon team is competing against a Lockheed Martin [LMT]-led effort.