Last Updated: 12/03/2012*

When warfighters are ready to engage the enemy, they want to have the best possible weapons with them – weapons they know they can count on, regardless of weather or battlefield conditions.

That's why Raytheon is continuing development of the Joint Air-to-Ground Missile (JAGM) to give our warfighters an unparalleled advantage: a proven tri-mode seeker that can track moving targets through clouds, fog, sandstorms or smoke.

JAGM will replace three legacy missiles, translating to lower cost over the life of the program. It offers a versatile answer to evolving threats in asymmetric warfare.

The U.S. Army’s Aviation Missile Command has just awarded Raytheon the first phase of a two-phase contract for Continued Technology Development (CTD) of the JAGM.

The first phase will span four months and see the Raytheon team provide a plan to integrate its tri-mode seeker and guidance electronics on to the front end of a currently fielded rocket motor, control actuation system and warhead.

The tri-mode seeker features technology that has been flight tested and is already in engineering and manufacturing development for the U.S. Air Force and Navy Small Diameter Bomb II (SDB II) program.

“Raytheon is leveraging our low-cost, successfully tested tri-mode seeker in our JAGM design to meet the warfighter’s needs in any condition they encounter,” said Tom Bussing, vice president of Advanced Missile Systems at Raytheon’s Missile Systems.

Raytheon is also making the most of its investment in SDB II to keep JAGM costs low.

“In today’s cost-conscious environment, we know that affordability is also critical. Our JAGM program is reducing risk and cost by taking advantage of knowledge gained and testing already accomplished with SDB II,” Bussing said.

The second phase of continued technology development will last 24 months, culminating in the delivery of guidance sections the Army will integrate with currently fielded missile components.

JAGM is a joint Army-Navy program. The Army is the lead service with milestone decision authority. Raytheon is teaming with Boeing to develop the JAGM.