Article Posted on : - Apr 21, 2010

The Joint Air-to-Ground missile system. A file photo

WALTHAM (BNS): The Joint Air-to-Ground Missile (JAGM) has been test fired jointly for the first time by the Raytheon Company and Boeing Company.

The test, funded by the two companies, was conducted at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.

The missile was fired from a ground-based rotary-wing launcher. It performed a series of preprogrammed maneuvers and flew to a pre-designated location, validating the flight control software and Brimstone airframe.

“The mission met all primary test objectives,” Raytheon said in a statement.

The missile is slated to undergo a series of guided tests so as to complete its technology demonstration phase, a Boeing official said.

Raytheon and Boeing teamed up in 2008 to design and develop the JAGM system that will replace the AGM-114 Hellfire II, the Maverick and the BGM-71 TOW missiles presently used by the US Army, Navy and Marine Corps.

While Boeing has designed the missile’s body and multi-purpose warhead, Raytheon has built its tri-mode seeker which enables the weapon to hit a fixed or a moving target in all weather conditions.

The air-to-surface missile will be deployed in both the rotary-wing, fixed-wing and unmanned platforms of the army, navy and marine corps. It will ultimately be launched from a number of aircraft, including the Super Hornet F/A-18 E/F, Apache Longbow AH-64D, Seahawk MH-60R, Super Cobra AH-1Z, Extended-Range Multi-Purpose UAV, Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter and Warrior Unmanned Aircraft System.