Raytheon and Boeing have completed the first of three government-sponsored firings of the Joint Air-to-Ground Missile. During the successful test, the JAGM used its laser guidance system to hit an 8-by-8-foot target board from a distance of 16 kilometers (10 miles).

The Raytheon-Boeing JAGM features a tri-mode seeker with laser; an uncooled imaging infrared sensor; and millimeter wave guidance. The weapon leverages proven components from other Raytheon and Boeing programs, including the Raytheon GBU-53/B Small Diameter Bomb II and the Boeing Brimstone.

"When Raytheon and Boeing won the JAGM contract Sept. 11, 2008, we committed to demonstrate our affordable and innovative missile design in these prototype tests," said Bob Francois, Raytheon vice president of Advanced Missiles and Unmanned Systems. "We've kept our commitment, which is a credit to both the U.S. government for effectively managing this program and to the Raytheon-Boeing JAGM team for executing as promised. This latest test demonstrates Raytheon's fully integrated tri-mode seeker is an extremely reliable and mature approach."

This marks the third time the Raytheon-Boeing team test-fired the weapon; the team conducted two successful company-funded tests of the weapon in April 2010. During the most recent test, all three guidance systems operated simultaneously and provided telemetry data that enabled engineers to conduct further analysis of the weapon.

"This test demonstrates that the combination of Raytheon's guidance section with Boeing's rocket motor, airframe and warhead gives the warfighter a proven, affordable, reliable and accurate solution," said Carl Avila, director of Boeing Advanced Weapons and Missile Systems.

JAGM, designed to replace three legacy systems, offers the warfighter improved lethality, range, operational flexibility, supportability and cost savings compared with older weapons like the Hellfire missile.