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AGM-88E AARGM Missile: No Place To Hide Down There

Jan 26, 2018 04:58 UTC by Defense Industry Daily staff

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F/A-18D launch

January 26/18: Upgrades-Development Contract Orbital ATK announced on January 24, the receipt of a US Navy development contract for the Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile-Extended Range (AARGM-ER) upgrade. Based on the AGM-88E currently in full-rate production, the AARGM-ER will take the electronics and sensors from the AGM-88E and package it with an upgraded rocket motor and tail control system. Work on the AARGM-ER contract will be performed at Orbital ATK’s facilities in Northridge and Ridgecrest, California, and will result in a preliminary design prior to entry into the Engineering and Manufacturing Development phase. The value of the contract was not revealed.

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AARGM Concept
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The AGM-88E Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile (AARGM) is a medium range, supersonic, air-launched tactical missile whose primary job is to attack and kill enemy radars. AARGM is a US Navy major acquisition program, with around 1,750 expected orders from the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. The Italian Air Force is expected to buy up to 250 of these successors to the AGM-88 High-Speed Anti-Radiation Missile, and Germany may also join.

So, why is AARGM a big deal? Perhaps the story of how a Serbian unit using an antiquated SA-3 battery managed to survive the 1999 NATO air campaign – and shoot down an F-117 Nighthawk stealth plane – will help put things into perspective. DID recounts those events, explains the new weapon, and offers updates on contracts and key milestones.