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

Jul 31, 2019 04:58 UTC by Defense Industry Daily staff

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F/A-18D launch

July 31/19: Lot 8 AARGM Alliant Techsystems Operations LLC won a $167.3 million firm-fixed-price contract for 263 full-rate production Lot 8 Anti-Radiation Guided Missiles or AARGM. The deal for the subsidiary of Northrop Grumman includes the conversion of US government-provided AGM-88B High Speed Anti-Radiation Missiles into 260 AGM-88E AARGM all-up rounds and 3 Captive Air Training Missiles as well as supplies and services needed for manufacture, spares and fleet deployment. AARGM is a supersonic, medium-range, air-launched tactical missile compatible with US and allied strike aircraft, including all variants of the F/A-18, Tornado, EA-18G, F-16, EA-6B, and F-35. Designed to upgrade the AGM-88 High-Speed, Anti-Radiation Missile system (HARM), AARGM features an advanced, digital, anti-radiation homing sensor, millimeter wave radar terminal seeker, precise Global Positioning System/Inertial Navigation System (GPS/INS) guidance, net-centric connectivity, and Weapon Impact Assessment transmit. Missile Impact Transmitter capability is available for approved customers. The missile offers extended-range engagement, as well as organic, in-cockpit emitter targeting capability and situational awareness. Work under the contract will take place in California and is scheduled to be finished by March 2022.

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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.