Advanced antiradiation guided missile contract signed by U.S. Navy, Northrop Grumman
NewsOctober 03, 2018
LOS ANGELES. The U.S. Navy and Northrop Grumman Corp. have signed a $171 million contract for Lot 7 full rate production (FRP) of the AGM-88E Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile (AARGM), a supersonic, air-launched tactical missile system, that upgrades legacy AGM-88 HARM systems with the capability to destroy enemy air defense missions.
AARGM, say Northrop Grumman officials, enables pilots to have in-cockpit, real-time electronicsituational awareness against today’s modern surface-to-air threats. It can rapidly engage traditional and nontraditional advanced land- and sea-based air defense threats and can strike time-sensitive targets.
AARGM -- a U.S. Navy and Italian Air Force international cooperative major acquisition program with the U.S. Navy as the executive agent -- is currently deployed with the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps on the weapons systems on the FA-18C/D Hornet, FA-18E/F Super Hornet, and EA-18G Growler aircraft.
Italy's air force recently completed operational testing of AARGM on its Tornado Electronic Combat and Reconnaissance (ECR) aircraft, during which the system scored direct hits on critical air defense threat targets; these positive tests enabled the Italian air force to transition AARGM into operational squadrons.
