Raytheon submitted its proposal for the U.S. Army and Navy's Joint Air-to-Ground Missile competition and responded as a prime contractor. Raytheon is teamed with Boeing for the JAGM program.

Raytheon and Boeing have proven capabilities that were showcased in the JAGM technology demonstration phase. The team enters the competition with an unmatched 3-for-3 record of success in the contractually required guided test vehicle flights. One of the reasons for the team's success is the use of a proven, tri-mode seeker incorporating semiactive laser, uncooled imaging infrared and millimeter wave guidance.

"Instead of cobbling together bits and pieces of hardware from legacy programs, we offer a fully integrated tri-mode seeker that provides an exceptionally reliable, low-risk path to engineering and manufacturing development," said Bob Francois, Raytheon vice president of Advanced Missiles and Unmanned Systems.

"Rather than complicating matters by using a cooled seeker, we worked in close concert with our customers to determine smarter and simpler ways to arrive at a superior system solution. The uncooled seeker on the Raytheon-Boeing JAGM is just one example of that, and our overall system solution integrates targeting information from powerful aircraft onboard sensors with our advanced seeker to provide exceptional capability."

In addition to achieving a 3-for-3 success rate in government-funded testing, the Raytheon-Boeing team also went 3-for-3 in company-funded testing. Boeing executives attribute part of that success to the team's use of production-ready hardware.

"The team demonstrated that it is possible to give the warfighter a single rocket motor solution capable of withstanding the rigors of fixed- and rotary-wing flight," said Carl Avila, director of Boeing's Advanced Weapons and Missile Systems.

"A single rocket motor and uncooled tri-mode seeker provide improved reliability and simplified logistics, while saving the taxpayer money over the life of the program."

JAGM, designed to replace three legacy systems, offers the warfighter improved lethality, range, operational flexibility, supportability and cost savings compared with older, Cold War-era weapons including all variants of the Hellfire missile.

JAGM is scheduled for integration on the Boeing F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet; the Boeing AH-64D Apache Longbow; the MH-60R Seahawk; the AH-1Z Super Cobra; the MQ-1C Gray Eagle; and the OH-58 CASUP Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter.

related report
Lockheed Martin Submits Proposal for Joint Air-to-Ground Missile Orlando FL (SPX) Jun 07, 2011 - Lockheed Martin has announced it submitted a proposal in response to the government's Request for Proposal (RFP) for the next phases of the Joint Air-to-Ground Missile (JAGM) program.

"Lockheed Martin's JAGM builds on HELLFIRE, LONGBOW and Javelin, three of the most trusted precision-guided weapons on the battlefield today," said Frank St. John, vice president of Tactical Missiles at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. "Our JAGM offering will provide U.S. Army, Navy and Marine Corps warfighters with the next product in that line, an affordable weapon that will offer the decisive edge in combat."

The U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command issued the RFP for Engineering and Manufacturing and Low-Rate Initial Production for the JAGM program on April 13, with a submittal deadline of June 6.

"Our proposed JAGM weapon system can provide significant performance advantages to help save warfighter lives," St. John said. "And with hot, high-volume production lines already in place for HELLFIRE, Javelin and the M299 launcher family, we can provide a critically needed capability at an affordable price and with best value over program life."

Lockheed Martin is partnered with some of the industry's leading suppliers on the JAGM program. Aerojet, a GenCorp [NYSE: GY] company, will provide the JAGM rocket motor for all six threshold JAGM platforms. GenCorp is headquartered in Sacramento, Calif., with production facilities in Camden, Ark.

Marvin Engineering, headquartered in Inglewood, Calif., will provide launchers for all six threshold platforms. General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems (GD-OTS), a business unit of General Dynamics [NYSE: GD], will provide the multi-purpose warhead with significant HELLFIRE commonality. GD-OTS is headquartered in Saint Petersburg, Fla., with production in Niceville, Fla.

Work on the JAGM program will be performed in Orlando and Ocala, Fla., and Troy, Ala., as well at suppliers' facilities across the U.S. Contract award is expected during fourth quarter 2011.

JAGM is the next-generation air-to-surface guided missile that will replace the aging Airborne TOW, Maverick and HELLFIRE family of missiles for the U.S. Army, Navy and Marine Corps.

Initial operational capability (IOC) of JAGM on the Army's AH 64D Apache, the USMC's AH 1Z Cobra attack helicopter and the Navy's F/A 18E/F Super Hornet jet fighter is scheduled for 2016. IOC for the Navy's MH 60R Seahawk armed reconnaissance helicopter, the Army's OH 58 cockpit and sensor upgrade program for the Kiowa Warrior armed reconnaissance helicopter and the Army's extended range multi-purpose unmanned aerial system is 2017.