By Jim Morris, Warrior Vice President, News
The Marine Corps has successfully conducted the first live test of its latest “fire and forget” weapon – the AGM 179 joint air-to-ground munition (JAGM).
A video released by the Pentagon shows the test, which took place off the coast of Okinawa last week. DVIDS – Video – First AH-1Z JAGM Launched in INDOPACOM During Expo Strike (dvidshub.net) (missile run begins at 2:10). An AH-1Z helicopter from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit fired the AGM-179, hitting a moving target vessel.
The Marine say the weapon “provides a true ‘fire and forget’ capability to guide the missile to a target, able to destroy targets like fast attack craft (FAC) in rough sea states.
Lockheed Martin developed the AGM-179, which was designed to replace the BGM-71 TOW, the AGM-114 Hellfire and the AGM-65 Maverick. It will be used by the Marines, Army and Navy.
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In 2020, the weapon’s production was put on hold after a Pentagon report said it didn’t achieve desired results during testing at sea. According to the report, testing was suspended so the missile’s software could be tweaked. By 2022, the Army had okayed the system for full rate production.
In November of that year, Lockheed tested a medium range version of the missile, which doubled its range to almost ten miles. That allows helicopters to stay farther away from enemy air defense systems.
The JAGM has a dual-mode guidance system which is fitted onto what’s called a Hellfire “bus” – the propulsion system and warhead. (Lockheed also built the Hellfire, and the new weapon is being manufactured on the same production line). The missile uses a Semi-Active Laser (SAL), like the Hellfire does, and also has a Millimeter Wave (MMV) radar sensor. The combination allows JAGM users to strike multiple targets almost simultaneously.
In addition to the AH-1Z, the JAGM will be used on both the Army and Navy versions of the MH-60, the AH-64, the F-35, the MQ-9 and the Mk 41 Vertical Launching System. The UK, Netherlands and Poland are among the other nations planning to use the weapon.
Originally, the Pentagon had wanted to replace the Hellfire with the AGM-169 Joint Common Missile. But the program was canceled in 2007 due to budget cuts.
The Hellfire has been in service now for 40 years. There have been a number of variants, including surface-to-surface and surface-to-air versions.
It was was developed as the “heliborne laser, fire-and-forget missile, which was informally shortened to Hellfire. That eventually became its formal name. Thirty-one countries other than the US have bought the missile.
