Lockheed Martin to upgrade guidance sensors of JASSM, LRASM, JAGM, and Hellfire air-launched missiles
RIDGECREST, Calif. – U.S. Navy air-launched weapons experts are asking Lockheed Martin Corp. to upgrade guidance and sensors capabilities of existing front-line aircraft-launched missiles under terms of a $99.6 million contract announced last week.
Officials of the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division in Ridgecrest, Calif., are asking the Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control segment in Orlando, Fla., for engineering research related to four important Navy missile systems.
Front-line missiles
These missiles are the Joint Air to Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM); Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM); Joint Air-to-Ground Missile (JAGM); and Hellfire missile.
Lockheed Martin will research and demonstrate improvements in line-of-sight and non-line-of-sight (LOS/N-LOS) technologies for seekers, multi-mode seekers, tube-launched unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), autonomous weapons, precision targeting, and aircraft and weapons integration for these missiles.
Lockheed Martin will provide design and development studies, technology demonstrations and engineering services for rapid technology development related to improving the JASSM, LRASM, JAGM, and Hellfire missiles.
Lockheed Martin will undertake technology demonstrations, product improvement initiatives, technology insertion, mission analysis, mission architecture, concepts of operations, and more traditional engineering analyses as they relate to JASSM, LRASM, JAGM and Hellfire weapons systems.
High-value targets
JASSM, which has been in service since 2009, is a long-range conventional air-to-ground, precision standoff missile for U.S. and allied forces that is designed to destroy high-value, well-defended, fixed and relocatable targets. The JASSM has a range of 230 miles, while the extended-range JASSM-ER has a range of 620 miles.
JASSM-ER is a stealthy cruise missile that flies a preplanned route from launch to a target, using Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite navigation guidance and an internal navigation system. It has an infrared seeker for terminal guidance.
LRASM is designed to detect and destroy high-priority targets within groups of ships from extended ranges in electronic warfare jamming environments. It is a precision-guided, anti-ship standoff missile based on the Lockheed Martin JASSM-ER.
LRASM can be guided toward enemy ships from as far away as 200 nautical miles by its launch aircraft, can receive updates via its datalink, or can use onboard sensors to find its target. LRASM will fly towards its target at medium altitude then drop to low altitude for a sea skimming approach to counter shipboard anti-missile defenses.
Multi-mode guidance
JAGM has a multi-mode guidance section with semi-active laser (SAL) sensor for precision-strike and a fire-and-forget millimeter wave (MMW) radar for moving targets in all-weather conditions. The small missile is nearly six feet long, seven inches in diameter, and weighs 108 pounds. The JAGM is to replace U.S. Army and Navy inventories of Airborne TOW, Maverick, and Hellfire air-to-ground missiles.
JAGM can engage several different stationary and moving targets in the bad weather, smoke and dust, and advanced countermeasures. Laser and radar guided engagement modes enable JAGM to strike accurately and reduce collateral damage. Its targets include moving and stationary armored combat vehicles; air defense units; patrol craft; artillery; missile launchers; radar sites; command-and-control nodes; bunkers; and other structures in urban and complex terrain.
The AGM-114 laser-guided Hellfire II missile is the latest Hellfire II variant, and is equipped with semi–active laser seekers to defeat many kinds of targets. The AGM-114R can be launched from several different kinds of fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, surface ships, and military ground vehicles.
The AGM-114 Hellfire II is laser-guided, and can be launched from manned and uncrewed aircraft, surface ships, and military ground vehicles. It also can launch from several kinds of uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) such as the MQ-1B Predator, MQ-9 Reaper, and MQ-1C Grey Eagle. Eventually these missiles may arm U.S. military uncrewed helicopters.
For more information contact Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control online at www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/who-we-are/business-areas/missiles-and-fire-control.html, or the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division at www.navair.navy.mil/nawcwd.
John Keller | Editor-in-Chief
John Keller is the Editor-in-Chief, Military & Aerospace Electronics Magazine--provides extensive coverage and analysis of enabling electronics and optoelectronic technologies in military, space and commercial aviation applications. John has been a member of the Military & Aerospace Electronics staff since 1989 and chief editor since 1995.
