Lockheed Martin AGM-179 JAGM

The AGM-179 JAGM (Joint Air-to-Ground Missile) is a program by the U.S. Army, Navy and Marine Corps to develop a common replacement for the BGM-71 TOW, AGM-65 Maverick and AGM-114 Hellfire air-to-ground missiles.

JAGM was begun in 2007, as a direct successor to the cancelled AGM-169 JCM (Joint Common Missile). Both Raytheon and Lockheed Martin received contracts for risk reduction and seeker technology development over several years. The program came close to cancellation, but in the end, Lockheed Martin was awarded a development contract to integrate its new dual-mode laser and millimeter-wave radar seeker into the body of an AGM-114R Hellfire. The resulting missile was officially designated AGM-179A in 2016. The ATM-179B is a launchable training variant without warhead, while the CATM-179A is a captive-carry version. Because of its lineage, the AGM-179A is externally almost indistiguishable from the AGM-114R, and can be used by the same platforms.

Image: Lockheed Martin

AGM-179A

LRIP (Low-Rate Initial Production) of the AGM-179A began in 2018, and in 2022 the missile achieved IOC (Initial Operational Capability) with USMC's AH-1Z helicopters. Other countries plan to use the JAGM on the AH-64E Apache.

Photo: DVIDS

AGM-179A

Lockheed Martin has developed an upgraded variant called JAGM-MR (JAGM - Medium Range), with about twice the effective range of the baseline AGM-179A. It incorporates an improved rocket motor, and a new electromechanical control actuation system. The seeker has also been upgraded, and has become a tri-mode seeker with the addition of a NIR (Near Infrared) sensor. In 2021 and 2024, the U.S. Army assigned the designations AGM-179C and AGM-179D to JAGM variants, but details are not available. It's not unlikely that one of the two designations refers to the JAGM-MR.

Another JAGM derivative is the AGM-187 JAGM-F (JAGM - Fixed Wing) for use with fast fixed-wing aircraft, i.e. jet fighters.

Specifications

Note: Data given by several sources show slight variations. Figures given below may therefore be inaccurate!

Data for AGM-179A:

Main Sources

[1] Wikipedia: AGM-179 JAGM
[2] Lockheed Martin: JAGM Product Card

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Last Updated: 27 December 2024