Pentagon awards JAGM development contract. What are your thoughts about this?

Pentagon awards JAGM development contract

Key Points
Lockheed Martin has received a USD66 million EMD contract for JAGM
The missile will be integrated onto the Apache and Viper attack helicopters while the production line is qualified
The US Army and the US Navy on 31 July awarded Lockheed Martin a USD66 million engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) contract for the Joint Air-to-Ground Missile (JAGM) programme, government and company officials told reporters during a 3 August teleconference.

Frank Kendall, the Pentagon's acquisition executive, authorised the programme to enter the EMD phase and award the contract via a 29 July Acquisition Decision Memorandum, said Colonel James Romero, the army's project manager for joint attack munition systems.

The EMD contract includes two additional options for low-rate initial production valued at approximately USD60 million each, army officials said.

Frank St John, vice-president of Tactical Missiles and Combat Maneuver Systems at Lockheed Martin, speaking during a separate teleconference, said the company is already preparing for initial operational capability (IOC), scheduled for 2018. To reach IOC, the missile must be integrated onto the army's Boeing AH-64 Apache and the US Marine Corps' (USMC's) Bell AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters, the JAGM production line must be qualified, and "limited quantities" of the missile must be delivered to the army, said St John.

JAGM is expected to replace the Pentagon's inventory of Lockheed Martin AGM-114 Hellfire air-to-surface missiles and air-launched TOW missiles for use on joint rotary wing and unmanned aircraft for the army, navy, and USMC. Army officials said Foreign Military Sales customers are likely to emerge among current Hellfire users. In addition to the United States, Hellfire has 27 operators in all major regions of the world.

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