Periodically, Virtual Analyst provides detailed updates on the status of defense programs, both programmatically and in Congress. Today, we take a look at selected Pentagon missile/munition programs.
AMRAAM — The Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM), which was introduced in the early 1990’s, has undergone some improvements over its lifetime, and the current variants are the AIM-120C3-C7, which is used by both the Navy and Air Force. A DefenseTech.org report
in September 2014 noted that pilots have identified key deficiencies in war games, specifically the limited range of the AMRAAM 120C, particularly on the advanced radars equipped on F-22s and F-35s.
The latest variant, AMRAAM 120D, has suffered two significant delays. The first was in 2009 when the Pentagon halted the program to allow Raytheon to address performance and reliability deficiencies, and then in 2012 due to sequestration cuts. The AMRAAM 120D variant continued production in May 2013 after solutions were found to hardware and software programs, according to the Pentagon.
After several delays in July 2014, the Air Force successfully completed testing on the AMRAAM 120D variant, which boasts a 50 percent boost in overall range. More than 30 countries have purchased different variants of AMRAAM.
Originally, the Pentagon planned to replace AMRAAM with the Joint Dual Role Air Dominance Missile (JDRADM) after 2020, but the program was terminated in 2013. The Air Force and Navy expected to acquire 227 AIM-120D AMRAAMs in 2014.
The fiscal 2015 budget calls for buying 200 missiles this year for the Air Force, ramping up to a peak of 388 in fiscal 2019. The Navy is not buying any AMRAAMs this year, but will start back up with 138 missiles in fiscal 2016 and ramp up to 274 by fiscal 2019. All four defense committees have signed off on these plans.
AGM-88E AARGM (HARM Upgrades) — The AGM-88E is a joint venture between the Italian Ministry of Defense and the Pentagon. In April 2014, ATK Defense Electronic Systems received a $83.4 million firm-fixed-price contract to convert 110 AGM-88B missiles to AGM-88E all-up-rounds, and in August ATK receives $96.2 million for its third full-rate production contract. The program is scheduled for completion in December 2016. The AGM-88E is initially being integrated on the FA-18C/D, FA-18E/F, EA-18G, and Tornado ECR, and later onto the F-35.
Australia and Italy comprise the foreign market for AARGM. Italy is receiving the missiles through a cooperative development memorandum and will ultimately receive 232 missiles. In 2013, the United States approved a sale of 8 missiles to Australia, which will be delivered in fiscal 2015.6
The Pentagon scaled back its planned AARGM buys this year, requesting only 116 missiles instead of the 188 originally planned, and cutting fiscal 2016’s buy in half, although the program would ramp up to 358 missiles in fiscal 2019. The defense committees signed off on this move.
AIM-9X Sidewinder — The Sidewinder has maintained a significant presence on the international market: In August 2014, AIM-9X received a $21.2 million indefinite delivery/indefinite-quantity contract modification to provide mission support and sustainment for the U.S. Air Force and Navy, as well as for Australia, Denmark, Finland, Poland, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Singapore, Switzerland, and Turkey.7 A July report indicated that the United States would sell 600 Sidewinders to Israel amid the crisis in Gaza.
Meanwhile, development of the Block II Sidewinder, which would improve on the missile’s fuze and mission computers, is on track to reach initial operational capability in March 2015, according to a report from Seapower Magazine earlier this year.
The Sidewinder shared the fate of many missile programs, as the Navy scaled back planned buys in fiscal 2015 from 225 to 167, although largely restoring buys in the out-years. Congress made no significant adjustments to Sidewinder funding levels.
JDAM — The Boeing Co. was awarded a maximum $80 million contract for indefinite delivervy/indefinite contract for technical support, studies, analysis, improvement, upgrades, integration, and testing in 2014, with an expected completion target of 2019. In 2012, Boeing began testing on the JDAM-ER, which will increase the range by nearly 40 nautical miles. In July 2014, the Pentagon announced Singapore’s request for JDAM kits. JDAM has been requested by many countries, including Oman, Belgium, Norway, Israel, South Korea, Japan, Poland, Turkey, Finland, Canada, Saudi Arabia, and Chile amongst others, according to the Pentagon.
JDAM has reemerged to the forefront as a primary ground strike weapon with recent airstrikes against ISIS using F/A-18 aircraft. In the last two decades, Boeing has been upgrading JDAM’s seeker system with laser and infrared technology, and is looking at further advancements to improve JDAM’s ability to precisely strike targets on its own without help from the wingman.
All four defense committee’s signed off on the Air Force’s fiscal 2015 request for 2,973 JDAMs at a price tag of $101.4 million.
Analysis by Jordan Gengler