Lockheed Martin to build JAGM and Hellfire II radar- and laser-guided missiles for helicopters and UAVs
Questions and answers:
- What types of missiles is Lockheed Martin producing under the $720.1 million Army contract? AGM-114 Hellfire II and AGM-179 Joint Air-to-Ground Missiles (JAGM) for use on crewed and uncrewed aircraft.
- How does JAGM improve on previous missiles? JAGM combines semi-active laser guidance and millimeter-wave radar, enabling it to strike both stationary and moving targets in all weather conditions with high precision, reducing collateral damage.
- What can launch the AGM-114R Hellfire II missile? Fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs), surface ships, and military ground vehicles.
REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. – Missile experts at Lockheed Martin Corp. will build advanced air-to-ground guided missiles for crewed and uncrewed fixed-wing aircraft and attack helicopters under terms of a $720.1 million order announced in August.
Officials of the Army Contracting Command at Redstone Arsenal, Ala., are asking the Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control segment in Orlando, Fla., to build AGM-114 laser-guided Hellfire II missiles and the AGM-179 Joint Air-to-Ground Missile (JAGM) for the contract's production year four.
The AGM-114R is the latest Hellfire II variant, and is equipped with semi–active laser seekers to defeat many kinds of targets. The AGM-114R can launch from several different kinds of fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, surface ships, and military ground vehicles.
The JAGM is to replace U.S. Army and Navy inventories of Airborne TOW, Maverick, and Hellfire air-to-ground missiles. This order brings the total value of the contract to $1.5 billion.
Helicopters and UAVs
Lockheed Martin is developing the JAGM for launch from the Army AH-64 Apache attack helicopter, the Army MQ-1C Gray Eagle uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV), the Navy MH-60R helicopter, and the Marine Corps AH-1Z Viper attack helicopter.
JAGM has a multi-mode guidance section with semi-active laser (SAL) sensor for precision-strike and a fire-and-forget millimeter wave (MMW) radar for moving targets in all-weather conditions. The small missile is nearly six feet long, seven inches in diameter, and weighs 108 pounds.
JAGM can engage several different stationary and moving targets in the bad weather, smoke and dust, and advanced countermeasures. Laser and radar guided engagement modes enable JAGM to strike accurately and reduce collateral damage, Lockheed Martin officials say.
JAGM’s targets include moving and stationary armored combat vehicles; air defense units; patrol craft; artillery; missile launchers; radar sites; command-and-control nodes; bunkers; and other structures in urban and complex terrain.
Tell me more about semi-active laser guidance ...
- Semi-active laser guidance steers missiles to their targets by homing-in on laser energy reflected off the target. A laser designator on the ground, an aircraft, or a drone shines a laser beam on the target, while the weapon's laser seeker detects the coded reflection from the laser. The missile then homes-in on the reflected laser energy, adjusting its flight path mid-air to stay on course. The weapon itself does not emit the laser; it relies on external designation to hit small or moving targets.
The modular and low-risk JAGM design includes the Lockheed Martin AGM-114 Hellfire missile body and the new multi-mode seeker. The JAGM guidance section blends semi-active laser guidance and millimeter wave radar to guide the new missile to its target. Future improvements may include an uncooled infrared sensor in a new tri-mode seeker.
The AGM-114 Hellfire II, meanwhile, is laser-guided, and can be launched from manned and uncrewed aircraft, surface ships, and military ground vehicles.
Hellfire II also is the missile of choice for several kinds of uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) such as the MQ-1B Predator, MQ-9 Reaper, and MQ-1C Grey Eagle. Eventually these missiles may arm U.S. military uncrewed helicopters.
The Hellfire II weighs 106 pounds, and has high-explosive variants designed to destroy tanks and other armored vehicles, and blast fragmentation versions designed to destroy trucks, antenna sites, concentrations of enemy troops, and other soft targets.
Tell me more about millimeter-wave radar guidance ...
- Millimeter-wave radar guidance uses radar in the 30-to-300 GHz frequency range guided missiles to their targets. High-resolution short-wavelength radar waves enable fine resolution in range, velocity, and angle for target discrimination. Millimeter-wave radar operates in fog, dust, smoke, and rain, and offers autonomous terminal guidance.
The AGM-114R Hellfire II missile uses a semi-active laser guidance system and an integrated blast fragmentation sleeve warhead to engage targets that previously needed several Hellfire variants to destroy.
These missiles can seek out their targets autonomously or with designation from remote laser designators. The missile has a three–axis inertial measurement unit to enable it to attack targets from the side and behind.
The AGM-114R can be launched from higher altitudes than previous variants because of its enhanced guidance and navigation capabilities. With its multi–purpose warhead, the missile can destroy hard, soft, and enclosed targets.
Riding a laser beam
Originally developed as an anti-tank missile for the Army's AH-64 Apache attack helicopter, the Hellfire homes-in on the reflected light of a laser designator. Other versions of the Hellfire are radar-guided fire-and-forget weapons.
Development of the AGM-114R Hellfire missile became necessary after the Pentagon cancelled the Joint Common Missile (JCM) project, which was to replace Hellfire, as well as the AGM-65 Maverick air-to-ground missile.
On this order Lockheed Martin will do the work in Ocala, Fla., and should be finished by September 2028. Fore more information contact Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control online at www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/who-we-are/business-areas/missiles-and-fire-control.html, or the Army Contracting Command-Redstone at https://acc.army.mil/contractingcenters/acc-rsa/.
