U.S.
Navy Awards Orbital ATK 4th & 5th AARGM Anti-Radiation Missile Production
Lot
Orbital
ATK, a global leader in aerospace and defense technologies, announced
today that it has been awarded a $119 million contract by the U.S. Navy
for the fourth full-rate production lot of the Advanced Anti-Radiation
Guided Missile (AARGM) and a fifth lot for up to $141 million. The contract
covers All-Up Round missiles and captive air training missiles for the
U.S. Navy and Italian Air Force as well as the second Foreign Military
Sales order for the Royal Australian Air Force. The contract award reinforces
the customers need for AARGM’s critical mission capabilities.
The AARGM is test fired from an F/A-18D at China Lake, Calif. in June
2012.
(U.S. Navy photo)
“With the rapid proliferation of threats emerging
around the world, AARGM provides significant advanced capabilities to
those protecting our nation each and every day,” said Bill Kasting,
Vice President and General Manager of Orbital ATK’s Defense Electronic
Systems division of the Defense Systems Group. “AARGM continues
to provide the U.S. Navy and our allies with the most advanced system
against surface-to-air threats.”
AARGM is a supersonic, air-launched tactical missile system, upgrading
legacy AGM-88 HARM systems with advanced capability to perform destruction
of enemy air defense missions. AARGM provides the most advanced system
for pilots, with in-cockpit, real-time electronic order of battle situational
awareness against today’s modern surface-to-air threats. It is
able to rapidly engage traditional and non-traditional advanced land-
and sea-based air-defense threats, as well as striking, time-sensitive
targets.
AARGM is a U.S. Navy and Italian Air Force international cooperative
major acquisition program with the U.S. Navy as the executive agent.
AARGM is currently deployed and supporting operational requirements
for the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps. The missile is integrated into
the weapons systems on the FA-18C/D Hornet, FA-18E/F Super Hornet and
EA-18G Growler aircraft. AARGM is anticipated to achieve Initial Operational
Capability on the Italian Air Force’s Tornado ECR aircraft in
2017.
With additional integration efforts, AARGM could be employed on the
F-35.
(U.S. Navy video)
AARGM is currently deployed with the U.S. Navy and
U.S. Marine Corps. AARGM achieved Initial Operational Capability in
July 2012 and was approved by the Navy for Full Rate Production in September
2012. AARGM is a U.S. Navy and Italian Air Force international cooperative
major acquisition program with the U.S. Navy as the executive agent.
AARGM is currently deployed on U.S. FA-18C/D Hornet aircraft and is
being integrated for use on the U.S. Navy's EA-18G Growler and FA-18
E/F Super Hornet aircraft, as well as the Italian Air Force's Tornado
ECR aircraft. The missile is also compatible with the F-35, EA-6B, allied
FA-18, and U.S. and allied F-16.
