Following a first successful missile firing on 3 August, Alliant Techsystems (ATK) will conduct a second firing of the AGM-88E advanced anti-radiation guided missile (AARGM) to complete the operational assessment phase.
The results of the second test, to be conducted within two weeks of the first firing, will determine the outcome of a pending decision by the US Navy to move the AARGM programme into production.
In the 3 August missile firing, AARGM detected the radar of an air defence system amid electromagnetic clutter, steered around pre-programmed "impact avoidance zones", and was launched off-axis at medium altitude from a USN Boeing F/A-18D Hornet.
AARGM was developed to destroy radars that would otherwise escape an attack by the Raytheon AGM-88 high-speed anti-radiation missile. The HARM is known to veer widely off course if a targeted radar stops radiating post-launch. AARGM adds a new terminal seeker and a GPS-aided navigation system to a HARM body, allowing the upgraded missile to hone in on a targeted radar even if it ceases transmitting.
"AARGM delivers an affordable, lethal destruction of enemy air defences capability for US, Italian and potentially other allied forces through the legacy AGM-88 weapons," says David Wise, general manager and vice-president, ATK Advanced Weapons.
Raytheon is developing an alternative to the AARGM for the US Air Force called the HARM destruction of enemy defences attack module.
Source: Flight International
