Raytheon [RTN] and the Air Force completed the latest of a series of flight tests for the High Speed Anti-Radiation Missile (HARM) Control Section Modification (HCSM), the company said Monday.
HCSM is an upgrade to existing AGM-88 HARMs that “dramatically increases effectiveness against even the most modern enemy radar while reducing the possibility of collateral damage,” Raytheon said.
AGM-88 HARMs are used to suppress or destroy surface-to-air radars, early warning radars, and radar-directed air defense artillery systems. The HCSM includes new features that allow it to engage modern SAMS, has resistance to counter-HARM tactics, and reduces the risk of collateral damage or fratricide, Raytheon said.
The test entailed an F-16 firing an HCSM AGM-88F against an emitter located outside a pre-planned zone of exclusion. A similar radiating emitter inside the zone attempted to confuse the HCSM so that the missile would engage the decoy target. The HCSM impacted the correct target using a new GPS/inertial measurement unit (IMU) capability, the company said.
“HCSM provides the warfighter an effective, affordable solution that improves the probability of hit, defeats counter-HARM tactics and controls where the missile can and cannot fly,” Mike Jarrett, vice president of Raytheon’s air warfare systems, said in a statement.
The Air Force is set to make a fielding decision on the missile once this series of tests is complete before declaring the HCSM as operationally ready. Raytheon was awarded an HCSM contract by the Air Force in 2012 and the system was recently cleared for full-rate production.
Over 4,000 HARMS have been used in combat, the company said.