JAGM is Back! Marines Fire Off Weapon From Helicopter…Destroy Surface Ship

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.